Perceptions and Attitudes of Mine Workers towards the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research was carried out to determine the perceptions and attitudes of coal mine workers who were at risk for COVID-19 infection toward the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive research design was used. The population of the study included a total of 929 workers in a state-owned coal mining enterprise. No sampling procedure was employed. The study sample consisted of 305 workers who volunteered to participate in the research between February and March 2022. The data of the study were collected using a Descriptive Characteristics Form, the COVID-19 Perception Scale, the Attitudes toward the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale, the COVID-19 Avoidance Attitudes Scale, the Perception of Control of COVID-19 Scale, and the Perception of Causes of COVID-19 Scale. Descriptive statistics were presented using counts and percentages. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests, medians, and quartiles were employed to analyze the differences between dependent and independent variables. According to the results of the study, 31.5% of the participants had contracted COVID-19, and 39.7% of them had a family history of COVID-19 infection. Of the workers, 91.8% had been vaccinated against COVID-19. A significant difference was found between participants’ attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine and their status of having a chronic disease and constant medication use (X2=7.575, P