The People's Panel - COVID-19: research findings

Appendix C: Small group discussion questions on COVID-19 topics

Event 1

Group session: Experience of the pandemic

Session questions

• What object or photo have you brought to show us and what does it tell us about your experience over the last few years?

For those without an object:

• How have the pandemic years been for you? Prompts: What was the best thing what was the worst thing about the pandemic for you for example, did you find a new place to walk, did someone help you out? Were you on your own?
• How is your wellbeing now in general? What would you say you are most worried about now?

Event 2

Group session: What makes you feel safe and unsafe

Session questions

• To start us off please can you tell me about things that makes you feel un-safe or at risk of catching COVID and things you do to keep yourself safe?

Follow up:

• What makes you feel unsafe/safe? Can you describe a situation where you felt safe/unsafe?
• What is it about [insert unsafe/ safe thing mentioned] that makes you feel unsafe/safe?

Follow up:

• How do you ‘know’ that is unsafe/safe? What motivates/ influences/ sways/ persuades/impels your behaviour and feelings? Where do you get information from about what is safe or unsafe?
• To what extent do you trust Scottish Government guidance?

Follow up:

• How do you feel about SG signs you might see? Have you felt the same all through the pandemic? When did you trust it and when did you not trust it? What makes you trust it/not trust it?

Group Session: Ventilation plans

Session questions

• How important do you think ventilation is as a protection against respiratory illness?
• What, if anything, do you do to increase ventilation at home or when you are in public buildings or transport? (by public buildings we mean cafes, shops and other businesses as well as public sector buildings like libraries and council offices)

Follow up:

• Do you open windows at home/ask for them to be opened in public buildings on public transport? Do you check on ventilation before you go into buildings or on transport?
• Who do you think is responsible for making sure public buildings are well ventilated?
• What, if any, guidance would you like to see the Scottish Government produce on ventilation?

Follow up:

• What form would that take? How much scientific detail would you like to be in it.

Event 3

Research Questions

Research Question 1: What is causing members the most anxiety currently and why?

Research Question 2: What are members’ attitudes towards and concerns about COVID and potential protective measures this autumn and winter and why?

Research Question 3: To what extent, if at all, (and how) do members think the new ventilation guidelines will achieve (the desired) behaviour change?

Group Session: COVID-19 concerns autumn and winter

Session questions

• Firstly, would you say you are more anxious about the cost of living crisis or COVID-19 or anything else and why is that? (Prompts: What’s your biggest worry over the next six months? Festive season? Flu? Family illness?)
• Next we are hoping to find out what your attitudes towards and concerns about COVID and potential protective measures this autumn and winter and why.
• To what extent, if at all, do you expect COVID-19 to be a part of your life this autumn/winter? (Prompts: case numbers, variants, severity)
• What, if any, protective measures do you expect will be put in place this autumn/winter? (Prompts: face coverings , free testing, physical distancing, more extreme lockdowns, protective measures in buildings?)
• What would it take for you to start (or continue) taking protective measures again? (Prompts: What would motivate you to take protective measures? case rates going up, new variant, death rates going up?)
• Which measures would you personally take, under what circumstances? (Prompts: vaccination, face coverings, testing, distancing, staying at home, meeting outdoor only, opening windows?)
• What, if anything, do you think we should do to protect people ‘at highest risk’? (Prompts: How can we protect them? Face coverings, distancing, testing, and so on)

Group Session: Refreshed ventilation guidance

Session questions

• To what extent, if at all, is this guidance clear to you?

Follow up:

• Do you understand what it’s asking you to do?
• How easy, or difficult would it be for you to follow this guidance?

Follow up:

• What would stop you doing it? What would help you do it?
• To what extent, if at all, do you think this guidance will make sure people know what the best ventilation behaviours are?
• What is the best way to get these messages out to the public?
• What other ways do you think the Scottish Government could support people to practice good ventilation behaviours?

Event 4

Research Questions

• Research Question 1: To what extent, if at all, could the use of CO₂ monitors in spaces with public access (non-clinical, for example, libraries, residential care homes) and signage to that effect provide reassurance to panel members and make them feel safe in such places.
• Research Question 2: What are this group willing to do to ease the pressure on the health service and how do they feel about taking action?

Group Session: CO₂ monitors and the pressures on the NHS

Session questions

• How would you feel about visiting places signed up to the CO₂ monitor scheme? (Prompts: Safer than places not signed up to the scheme, no different, if it depends than what does it depend on?)

Follow ups

• What impact would it have on your decision to visit the building/space?
• What impact would it have on your experience of visiting the building/space?
• What places would you like to see signing up for this scheme? And why?

Event 6

Research Questions

• Research Question 1: What are the views, opinions, concerns, feelings and ideas of members of the People’s Panel now about COVID-19?
• Research Question 2: To what extent, if at all, have their feelings changed over the last year?
• Research Question 3: To what extent, if at all, do they expect their feelings to change over the next year?
• Research Question 4: Are we still the broken society riddled with anxieties as found in the event 3 in September 2022?

Group session: Feelings about COVID-19 now and for the future

Session questions:

• Where do you think we are with the COVID-19 pandemic right now?
• We’ve found in polling that some people are less concerned with COVID-19 now why do you think people feel this way? Do you feel differently, if so how and why?
• At the beginning of the People’s Panel we recorded a lot of loss (of loved ones, livelihoods, health, confidence to name but a few) how is that loss affecting you now?
• What do you expect to happen with COVID-19 in the next year?
• How do you expect to feel about COVID-19 in a years’ time?