ABSTRACT
The study is aimed to create a valid and appropriate instrument to measure the awareness level of Indonesians on the COVID-19 pandemic by using the ORID (Objective, Reflective, Interpretational and Decisional) instrument and to analyze the strategies to develop the knowledge needed to raise the awareness level. This study employed a descriptive approach by combining quantitative and qualitative methods. To determine the level of ORID awareness of respondents in Indonesia, descriptive statistics and inferential testing were used using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The results of the study concluded that increasing awareness of ORID in Indonesian society is unidimensional. That is, all aspects of the formation of ORID have a positive and significant contribution in increasing ORID awareness, although each aspect has a different contribution. Inequality of knowledge is one of the problems that cause differences in the level of public awareness in understanding the COVID-19 pandemic and thus making it difficult for the authorities to deal with the pandemic effectively. Overall, holistic approach needs to be applied by the government and communicated to the people so that government policies adopted in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening social capital can be carried out more effectively. Meanwhile, the social capital could increase people's knowledge and the effectiveness of health protocols and other protective behaviors. Nevertheless, the ORID instrument could play as a vital role in disaster mitigation during the COVID-19 pandemic.