The key feature of the tool is that it combines a multitude of data sources into one comprehensive, precise and informative dataset containing individual or household data within small areas. This allows for the analysis of social attitudes at the local level in relation to other individual attributes, such as age group, education level or income.

Spatial microsimulations can be employed to generate informative datasets and visualisations of areas that are useful for improving understanding of the locality’s climate change attitudes. It is an analytical method that creates a synthetic population for small areas, which includes information for variables that are not available from published sources but are important for informing social and area-based policies.

Spatial microsimulation has been utilised in the PHOENIX project to help paint a picture of how European citizens may feel about issues pertaining to climate change and the European Green Deal. This has allowed for the analysis of social attitudes at local level in relation to other individual attributes, such as age group, education level or income, which provides us with a far better and rounded understanding of policy-impact at the micro-level. The models that were developed are open-source and potentially adaptable to be used with alternative datasets.

For PHOENIX the social mapping spatial microsimulations tool is tailor made for each territory where Phoenix pilots operate. Explore the maps of each pilot project showing key climate change attitudes specific to their locality can be explored by clicking on a pilot project (hyperlink to the pilot project page). Or learn more about the Social Mapping Microsimulation Tool (hyperlink to the tool page).