Project „LoneCovid“ – Questions on social networks and their evolution throughout the COVID-19 pandemic (English Version)

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Testing objectives:
Question 8 was asked for each of the six individuals previously selected in Question 2. The goal of the pretest was, first, to determine whether the participants were willing to answer the question or whether they found it inappropriate. In addition, the study aimed to examine what they were referring to in their answers and how they chose a response option. Finally, the interviews were intended to reveal whether the test persons had difficulty answering the question regarding certain people in their social circle due to a lack of knowledge.

Findings:
As Table 7 shows, there was no item nonresponse, and the participants used the full range of the scale, even though they reported that the majority of people in their social circles had never or only rarely failed to follow the COVID-19 safety measures.

Do the test persons find the question inappropriate in the context of a survey?
All ten participants reported that at least one person in their social circle had disregarded the protective measures at least “rarely.” Furthermore, only one of the ten participants felt it was inappropriate to be asked such a question in a survey. When asked, Test Person 01 stated that they found the question too personal, although they also answered it without hesitation: “Well, it does encroach a bit on privacy. And you can easily discredit someone that way. That’s why I find the question a bit difficult.” (TP01)

How do the test persons explain their answers?
When asked why they had chosen the “never” response option for certain individuals, the test persons mostly replied that, in their opinion, those individuals were particularly health-conscious or that adhering to the rules was important to them:

• “It was very important to him that everything that was required was always followed.”  (TP01)
• “Because I know she's very health-conscious and very cautious when it comes to the pandemic.” (TP05)
• “She was totally extreme—got vaccinated right away, always wore a mask, and kept a five-meter distance. I mean, she never did anything [wrong].” (TP06)

Regarding individuals who, according to the test persons, had “rarely” failed to follow COVID-19 safety measures, the test persons explained that these individuals had occasionally weighed whether a measure made sense or not:

• “Take the mask policy, for example. People might not have worn masks 100 percent of the time. If they didn’t think it was that important, they’d sometimes just leave them off.”  (TP03)
• “That was very rare, but it always came down to weighing whether it made sense. For example, whether it makes sense to wear a mask on the street. That’s why it wasn’t always 100 percent.”  (TP09)

People who, according to the survey participants, had “sometimes,” “often,” or “very often” failed to follow the protective measures tended to be skeptical of or strongly opposed to the measures:

• “He didn’t completely deny the existence of COVID-19, but he didn’t follow all the guidelines correctly either.”  (TP03)
• “She completely rejected it and didn’t follow through on it either.” (TP06)
• “I witnessed it myself [that he did not follow the guidelines].” (TP07)

Do the test persons have difficulty answering the question because they lack knowledge about the behavior of people in their social circle?
Four participants explained that, in the case of certain individuals, they did not know exactly whether or how often those individuals had failed to follow the COVID-19 safety measures, and that they could therefore only provide an estimate. However, all participants did provide such an estimate:

• “I can’t say that about [NAME]. It’s hard to decide right now. […] We only meet once or twice a week, and the [COVID-19 safety measures] aren’t our main focus.”  (TP04)
• “I don’t know enough about [NAME] to judge it accurately. That was just an estimate.”  (TP05)
• “That’s my guess. I don’t know for sure, but that’s how I’d put it.”  (TP08)

One of the four test persons (TP04) requested an additional response category, such as “I can’t answer that” or “I can’t judge that.”

Do the test persons have difficulty answering the question because of the negative phrasing (“did not follow”)?
Half of the test persons (n = 5) either had difficulty answering the question because of the negative phrasing (“did not follow”) or pointed out that the negative phrasing was confusing and that the question should be rephrased:

• “[NAME] always answered ‘very often’ when asked about this. Oh no, didn’t answer? Then it must be ‘never’! So the question is phrased a little strangely. It would be better to ask about ‘answered,’ then it would be easier to answer.”  (TP01)
• “ I’d say ‘often,’ since she’s a bit older and works in the medical field. Oh, she didn’t follow the instructions? Then ‘never.’”  (TP02)
• “So, if I mark that person as ‘never’ now, does that mean they’ve always followed everything, and if I mark them as ‘very often,’ does that mean they haven’t followed it?”  (TP08)
• “Wait a minute, I need to read the question again so I don’t give the wrong answer. So, ‘don’t follow’? Then I’ll put ‘rarely’ instead of ‘often’ here.”  [TP changes their answer]. (TP10)

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