Qualitative assessment of the citizen science approach to foster public partnerships for pandemic preparedness and response in South and Southeast Asian countries

Citizen science (CS) promotes the inclusion of diverse stakeholders and offers a scientific in-depth understanding of community engagement to build trust, increase knowledge, and facilitate policymaking. Study aimed to understand concepts, practices, approaches, and sustainability issues of CS among citizens in five South and Southeast Asian countries. Qualitative study from October 2022 to March 2023 was carried in Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Philippines, and Indonesia. In each country, four focus group discussions were conducted with an overall total of 130 participants. Content analysis and coding were carried out for narrative responses of participants. Across all countries, the participants collectively comprehended the term "research" while referring to CS. Participants also related social responsibility and capacity building of citizens to CS. In terms of their contributions to pandemic response, participants stated compliance with government guidelines, helping to create awareness, and providing necessary support and assistance. Participants value personal achievement, satisfaction, happiness, and a chance to build social capital while participating in CS activities. Participants were ready to actively contribute to CS activities and share their opinions with stakeholders such as policymakers and researchers but felt that a lack of personal confidence, ineffective communication, and insufficient translation of their opinions to actions could deter them. Creation of an organization or network, provision of budget for activities, incentives to participants, and transportation assistance were considered as resources needed for the sustainability of CS. Participants expressed their readiness for CS activities considering personal and social factors, while systemic support is needed for sustained participation.