Proximity to a live measles outbreak may influence an individual's opinion on vaccinations, according to a study published in PLOS One.
For the study, researchers polled a nationally representative sample of 1,006 people about their political beliefs, vaccination attitudes and demographics in January 2017.
Researchers found a person's proximity to a measles outbreak did not independently influence vaccination attitude. However, among people who were skeptical of federal agencies like the CDC, those who lived closer to live outbreaks had a more favorable view of vaccination.
"This implies that citizens who are skeptical of the CDC and similar institutions base their vaccination decision-making to some degree on whether or not a given disease occurs in close vicinity to their community," the study authors concluded.