2.3 Data collecting tool
The research team developed the initial draft of the study questionnaire based on previously available literature. For clarity and comprehensiveness, face validity was done by an expert of the same background for the initial questionnaire draft. For the reliability assessment, a pilot study was conducted on 37 participants. A Cronbach alpha value of 0.71 was obtained to show a valid internal consistency. For the convenience of the study population, an Urdu translation was added alongside the English questions.
The questionnaire was comprised of six sections with a total of 37 questions. The first section consisted of participants’ demographic data (seven questions) regarding age, gender, educational level, and current working profile. The second section asked participants about their perception of the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic (eight questions). The three-point Likert scale (agree, neutral, disagree) was adopted with the perception questions items in this section. The third section was on the participants’ perceived susceptibility to the severe COVID-19 pandemic (single question). The fourth section was on the perception of participants about the symptoms of COVID-19 and the way they protect themselves (eleven questions). The fifth section was about the participants’ perception regarding the symptoms of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to Seasonal Influenza (three questions). The sixth section contained questions regarding participants’ perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine (seven questions). Only close-ended questions were used in the questionnaire.