As measles cases surge across the United States, a new study finds that the media people consume and the sources they rely on for health advice may be secretly shaping their views on vaccines in a deeply polarized information environment.
Study: MMR vaccine hesitancy in a polarized information ecosystem: Results from a cross-sectional survey of U.S. adults. Image credit:vectorfusionart/Shutterstock.com
Vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern as uptake of the highly effective measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine declines in the United States. Research published in journals vaccine We found that there is hesitancy towards the MMR vaccine. It relates to engagement with certain “new” right-wing media outlets and non-authoritative health information sources such as social media influencers, alternative health practitioners, and newsletters.
Declining MMR coverage threatens US herd immunity status
In 2025, the number of measles outbreaks in the United States will exceed 2,000, making it the largest outbreak since 2000, when the country was declared measles-free. About 93% of cases occurred among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was uncertain.
Following the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, childhood vaccinations have declined, with vaccine hesitancy being a major contributing factor. Vaccine hesitancy, described as a “state of indecision and uncertainty about vaccination,” is a dynamic state that changes rapidly in response to changes in contextual factors.
The current study investigated hesitancy rather than refusal, but moved from the individual to the systemic level to examine social and informational factors that influence attitudes toward vaccines. In particular, we investigated the role of intentionally and passively obtained medical information on attitudes toward vaccines. This is particularly important in the United States. In the United States, a significant percentage of parents are skeptical of federal health agencies, largely due to politically sensitive perceptions conveyed through their chosen news sources.
This is important in shaping attitudes towards vaccines. Because more people are likely to “encounter health information framed through their chosen news sources.”
Trends related to vaccine hesitancy
Researchers conducted an online survey of 2,970 American adults (approximately 61% white, 14% Hispanic, and 13% black). Approximately 17% of adults believed that MMR risks outweighed the benefits. Characteristics associated with a higher likelihood of hesitation include:
- Age is under 44 years old
- Lower education level (adjusted analysis shows higher education has a protective effect)
- politically independent position (The only demographic factor significantly associated with higher adjusted odds)
Most adults use multiple digital media. Some of the biggest differences between those who hesitate and those who don’t hesitate was found in their media habits. Hesitators report higher engagement with fringe news sources and less-used platforms, including podcasts, generative artificial intelligence (AI), social media platforms like WhatsApp and Truth Social, and media channels like Newsmax and Breitbart. The difference ranged from 15% to 23%.
Vaccine hesitancy is linked to news source selection
After controlling for other differences, MMR hesitancy was twice as likely among those who sometimes or frequently engaged with Breitbart, the “new” right-wing media channel. In contrast, engagement with the Huffington Post was associated with less vaccine hesitancy, as was less engagement with the New York Times or ESPN.
However, consuming more of these sources was not associated with changes in hesitation. Use of some platforms, such as TikTok, was also associated with slightly lower odds of hesitation, highlighting the complexity of these relationships. No significant associations were observed with several other mainstream or right-wing news organizations, highlighting that the effects are news agency-specific rather than uniform across political categories.
Vaccine hesitancy is associated with medical information sources
Additionally, those most likely to seek health information outside the mainstream healthcare system were also more likely to be hesitant to use MMR. For example, use of alternative medicine newsletters was associated with approximately 40% higher odds of hesitancy when alternative health practitioners were used sometimes or frequently, compared to 70% higher odds of hesitancy when alternative medicine practitioners were used sometimes or frequently.
Those who visited their doctor occasionally or often for health information were up to 44% less likely. Among those who used professional medical care, they were much less likely to hesitate.
Taken together, these findings demonstrate an important association between vaccine attitudes and media sources of news and health information. Mainstream media viewing was not typically associated with vaccine hesitancy, but the opposite was true for specific fringe and “new” right-leaning media, but not for right-leaning media overall.
Research limitations
Because this cross-sectional study does not establish a causal relationship, longitudinal follow-up is needed to determine whether hesitancy forms a target group vulnerable to a particular media source, whether such adults seek alternative sources, or whether both occur simultaneously.
Existing worldviews, especially political views, are a force in shaping attitudes toward vaccines by directly and indirectly influencing trust in institutions and information.
However, these political effects weakened after controlling for other factors, with only political independence remaining statistically significant. Because algorithms determine selective user feeds, they can help reinforce such attitudes, creating feedback loops that reinforce existing beliefs over time. These help shape future public health policy through electoral decisions.
strengths and limitations
Only English-speaking adults were included, which limited the generalizability of the study. Self-reported media engagement may have been inaccurate. This study only addressed attitudes toward the MMR vaccine, not the uptake of this or any other vaccine.
Nevertheless, this study represents some of the earliest investigations into the influence of media sources, not only in the presentation of health information, but also in the general context in which it appears. Vaccine hesitancy arises not only from the information consumed, but also from the dynamic interaction between media exposure and an individual’s pre-existing beliefs, which can mutually reinforce each other over time.
This highlights the challenges faced in addressing vaccine hesitancy in a divided and polarized media landscape.
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