Table 1.
Arguments in the media coverage supportive or critical to the mainstream position on vaccination rank ordered by frequency.
| United Kingdom (n = 123 articles) | %* | China (n = 150 articles) | %* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supporting arguments | Supporting arguments | ||
| Measles/mumps/rubella situation serious | 26 | Measles/mumps/rubella situation serious | 24 |
| Scientific basis of criticism faulty | 18 | Vaccination is effective | 21 |
| Vaccination is effective | 8 | Vaccination is safe | 6 |
| Vaccination is safe | 4 | Freedom of choice | 4 |
| Inferiority of single vaccine | 2 | Widespread public support/compliance | 4 |
| Other supporting argument | 1 | Other supporting argument | 2 |
| Critical arguments | Critical arguments | ||
| Side-effects of vaccination | 31 | Shanxi vaccine incident | 2 |
| Personal choice of Blair unclear | 9 | Doubts about quality of vaccines | 2 |
| Single vaccination superior | 7 | No freedom of choice | 1 |
| Other disputing argument | 1 | ||
*
Proportion of articles containing the argument (multiple coding possible).