The Diffusion of Vaccine Hesitation: Media Visibility Versus Scientific Authority

[Purpose/Significance] This study quantifies media visibility and scientific authority of vaccine scientists and anti-vaxxers. We analyze differences and associations through media co-occurrence and scientific inter-citation networks to comprehend vaccine hesitancy causes. [Methods/Process] We collected 100,000 research documents and 60,000 English-language media article metadata from 213 anti-vaxxers and 200 vaccine scientists. Differences in their media visibility were analyzed individually and as groups. We explored passive and active media presentation of anti-vaxxers and vaccine scientists. Co-occurrence and citation associations were examined through separate networks. Media articles were analyzed for frequency of appearance and pronoun use. [Results/Conclusions] Anti-vaxxers’ media visibility is 52% higher, but top 50 vaccine scientists surpass anti-vaxxers in visibility. Media focus on anti-vaxxer topics drives attention. Despite limited scientific authority, anti-vaxxers gain traction through disinformation. Vaccine scientists gain visibility based on their scientific authority. Anti-vaxxers’ close interconnections induce team effects, aiding opposition spread. Controversial nature makes anti-vaxxers more frequent in coverage. Pronoun differences highlight contrasting perspectives. These findings aid understanding of vaccine reporting and information dissemination for tackling vaccine hesitancy.