Climate impacts and extreme weather events can affect anyone, but some people have the potential to be more affected than others. How badly a person or group will be affected will depend not just on their exposure to the event, but on their social vulnerability – that is, how well they are able to cope with and respond to events like floods and heatwaves. People and communities experiencing multiple causes of vulnerability are the most vulnerable.

Social vulnerability comes about through the interaction of a number of personal, environmental and social factors that affect the way in which climate hazards impact on the well-being of individuals or groups:     

• Personal features of the individual, such as age and health, which affect their sensitivity to climate impacts;
• Environmental characteristics, such as the availability of green space, quality of housing stock or elevation of buildings, which can increase or offset exposure to flooding or heat;
• Social and institutional context, such as levels of inequality and income, the strength of social networks, the cohesion of neighbourhoods and the day-to-day practices of institutions, such as care regimes in nursing homes, which affect people’s ability to adapt.

Older people, the very young and people in poor health tend to be more sensitive to the health effects from climate impacts like floods and heatwaves because of their higher physical susceptibility relative to others in the population.

Very young children Evidence suggests that young children and babies face disproportionate health effects from climate-related impacts.¹ Extreme events may also be traumatic and lead to potential developmental impacts², including behavioural difficulties.³

Older people As well as being more susceptible to harm due to their age, older people are often exposed to other physical factors (below) which increases their vulnerability.

People in poor health People with existing physical or mental health problems have a lower ability to take action due to physical constraints, a lower awareness of their circumstances or due to behavioural changes.⁴

Poor mobility and access  People with low personal mobility or living in areas with lower accessibility of services tend to have lower ability to respond to and recover because it may take them longer to help themselves or to seek and receive help from others.

See the map tool to view a range of indicators of sensitivity for your area. The map tool includes a summary explanation for each indicator in this group. While not all factors known to affect vulnerability can be easily measured, a number of them can be mapped using direct and proxy indicators.

People living in neighbourhoods which tend to increase people’s exposure to climate impacts like floods and heatwaves

Tenancy status Tenants are most likely to live in some of the poorest adapted homes in the country and they have less ability to adapt their homes. They are much less likely to have adequate contents insurance compared to home owners and may have a lower awareness of the likelihood for flooding.

Particular types of housing People can experience different intensities of climate impacts as a result of the type of housing that they live in. For example, people living in houses which have basements are more likely to be affected by flooding and temperatures in high-rise buildings can be particularly high during heatwave events.

Areas lacking green infrastructure People living in neighbourhoods with less greenspace, especially urban areas, may experience more extreme impacts from events like flooding and heatwaves.

See the map tool to show a range of indicators of adaptive capacity for your area. The map tool includes a summary explanation for each indicator in this group, including factors like, length of residency in an area, crime rates and social isolation. While not all factors known to affect vulnerability can be easily measured, a number of them can be mapped using direct and proxy indicators.

People with low adaptive capacity may be less able to prepare for, respond to and recover from events such as floods and heatwaves.

Short length of residency in an area  People who have lived in an area for a short time may be unaware of past floods and the potential for future flooding.

Social isolation People who are socially isolated may not receive the help they need in the event of a flood or heatwave as they lack the necessary support networks

Deprivation is one important measure of social vulnerability.^5,6,7 In England social deprivation is measured through factors representing employment, health and disability, education, barriers to services, crime and living environments.⁸ Climate change is a route through which deprivation can be worsened.

People on low incomes Income is an important determinant of how people are likely to be affected by climate impacts. For example, reasons why people on low incomes  are less able to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding include the lack of affordable insurance and a lower tendency to seek out information and assistance.

See the map tool to show a range of indicators of factors tending to increase people’s exposure in your area. The map tool includes a summary explanation for each indicator in this group. While not all factors known to affect vulnerability can be easily measured, a number of them can be mapped using direct and proxy indicators.