What types of questions are they?

Most are multiple choice, with the exception of one (1-10 point scale response)

What type of data will I get?

Demographic information, which can be used to view correlation between demographics (age, social media platforms, etc.) and COVID-19 perceptions

How will I analyze it?

I’ll group together the people in similar demographic groups and compare their results from group to group while also looking for trends or similar responses

How will it help to answer my research questions?

The data can be used to view correlation between demographics (age, social media platforms, etc.) and COVID-19 perceptions

Q1: I am well-informed on the COVID-19 pandemic.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

This question really gives me a stepping-off point for reviewing their responses-- their prior understanding will likely affect their perceptions

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It will help me to analyze the relationship between social media use and COVID-19 information

Q2: I think government officials are handling the COVID-19 pandemic well.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

It allows me to analyze a specific perception about COVID-19 regarding the government’s effectiveness

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions about COVID-19

Q3: I think COVID-19 is a serious disease and preventative measures must be taken.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

This question is very broad but also very definitive in analyzing perceptions, so the responses to this question will help me in comparing, contrasting, and categorizing different perceptions based on demographics

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions about COVID-19

Q4: I frequently participate in news sharing on social media.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

This question will more or less serve as a bar to compare the responses from other questions about sharing to

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding the sharing of COVID-19 information through social media

Q5: I believe facemasks are an effective precautionary measure in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

Compare with responses from different demographic groups

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions about COVID-19

Q6: I think I am a part of the "at-risk" COVID-19 demographic (due to age, illness, pre existing conditions, etc.)

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

I’ll refer back to the demographic question regarding age to see if those within the at-risk age group consider themselves to be at-risk

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions and misinformation about COVID-19

Q7: I think people are too scared of COVID-19 because it's nothing worse than the flu or the common cold.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

Compare with responses from different demographic groups

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions about COVID-19

Q8: I consider myself to have a conservative political mindset.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

This response is more of a demographic, if anything; it can serve as another benchmark in analyzing results

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It gives more background into how perceptions are affected by factors other than factual information regarding COVID-19

Q9: I consider myself to have a liberal political mindset.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

This response is more of a demographic, if anything; it can serve as another benchmark in analyzing results

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It gives more background into how perceptions are affected by factors other than factual information regarding COVID-19

Q10: I tend to believe what I see on social media.

What type of question is it?

Likert scale (strongly disagree - strongly agree)

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

Compare with responses from different demographic groups

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It will help me in gauging how greatly social media affects perceptions

Q11: What role do you think social media has played in shaping your perceptions and opinions regarding COVID-19?

What type of question is it?

Open-ended

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

The response to this question will give me a bit of insight into how the participant would answer my research question. I’m not sure that I’ll display it in my findings, but it will help me in understanding their responses

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding perceptions about COVID-19

Q12: Do you think social media is responsible for the spread of COVID-19 information, and/or misinformation, and/or opinions?

What type of question is it?

Open-ended

What type of data will I get?

Qualitative

How will I analyze it?

The response to this question will give me a bit of insight into how the participant would answer my research question. I’m not sure that I’ll display it in my findings, but it will help me in understanding their responses

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding the sharing of COVID-19 information through social media

Q13: How often (on average) do you use hashtags related to COVID-19 (#Coronavirus, #COVID, #COVID19, #Pandemic) on social media?

What type of question is it?

Multiple choice, in which all options are defined

What type of data will I get?

Quantitative

How will I analyze it?

I’ll compare the numbers (ranges) from this question among different participants and then compare this response to the responses to other questions to get a better understanding about how social media contributes to news sharing and the spread of COVID-19 information

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding the sharing of COVID-19 information through social media

Q14: How often (on average) do you share or repost COVID-19 information on social media?

What type of question is it?

Multiple choice, in which all options are defined

What type of data will I get?

Quantitative

How will I analyze it?

I’ll compare the numbers (ranges) from this question among different participants and then compare this response to the responses to other questions to get a better understanding about how social media contributes to news sharing and the spread of COVID-19 information

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding the sharing of COVID-19 information through social media

Q15: How often (on average) do you share or repost opinions about the COVID-19 pandemic on social media?

What type of question is it?

Multiple choice, in which all options are defined

What type of data will I get?

Quantitative

How will I analyze it?

I’ll compare the numbers (ranges) from this question among different participants and then compare this response to the responses to other questions to get a better understanding about how social media contributes to news sharing and the spread of COVID-19 perceptions and opinions

How does it help to answer my research questions?

It helps to answer my question regarding the sharing of COVID-19 information through social media

Creating a research instrument was admittedly not very easy. Google Forms was very user-friendly, but I had a lot of trouble formulating my questions. I took my time and broke my survey down into sections-- demographics, Likert scale, open-ended, and multiple choice. I wanted to collect qualitative and quantitative data while also having a relatively short survey, because I couldn't expect my participants to take anything tedious or lengthy. This activity helped with creating and perfecting my research instrument by prompting me to closely evaluate all of my potential questions. I was able to improve on some questions, discard others, and add a few new ones, all thanks to this thorough research activity.