Study title

United Kingdom

Individual

Geographic Unit

We undertook a survey and focus group on each case study region. For the survey, respondents were asked about the extent of their approval or disapproval of 14 demand-side mitigation measures and to choose their top 3 measures contributing to overall wellbeing, based on a set of 20 wellbeing indicators, as well as to give their preferences for different funding options. The survey was conducted in two phases between June and September 2022. In the first phase, from June to July, two researchers conducted the survey face-to-face with randomly selected residents in Brighton, gathering 46 responses. To gain a higher number of responses, a second phase was conducted using a market research company to generate a range of online responses in the Greater Brighton (GRB) and North of Tyne (NoT) regions. This generated a further 566 respondents aged between 18-65+, giving a combined total of 621 respondents, of which 343 were in the Greater Brighton region and 269 in the North of Tyne region. From the findings of the survey, 6 mitigation measures were selected to be discussed in more detail in the focus groups – 2 of the most preferred, 2 mid-range and 2 least preferred measures.In the focus group, we asked participants to score a range of measures according to their contribution to a set of wellbeing indicators and then to weigh those indicators using a version of a multi-criteria mapping (MCM) method. For each focus group, 25 participants were selected by the market research company, using random stratified sampling to ensure diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity, rural/urban location, employment and political party support. Participants were asked to discuss in groups and then score individually (with a brief justification) the selected set of 6 mitigation measures in relation to 6 wellbeing indicators. This provided qualitative insights into factors influencing participants’ responses, as well as quantitative insights into their relative preferences for different mitigation measures. The wellbeing indicators were selected based on the literature to include 2 social indicators, 2 economic indicators and 2 environmental indicators in order to cover a range of potential benefits. The focus groups were held in accessible locations in Brighton in December 2022 for the Greater Brighton case study and in Newcastle in February 2023 for the North of Tyne case study.The focus groups allowed the triangulation of the data since participants contributed specific insights that could not be investigated in the survey. During the workshops, an adapted version of MCM was used as “an interactive appraisal method for exploring contrasting perspectives on complex strategic and policy issues. MCM is conceived as a tool for individual or small group interviews where participants define their own criteria. The tool aims to help 'open up' technical assessment by systematically 'mapping' the practical implications of alternative options, issues, uncertainties and values” (UoS, 2023).