Bibliometric Analysis of Articles on Vaccine Hesitancy Using the Science Mapping Technique

Background: This study was conducted to map the structure of the field by analyzing the trends, relationships, temporal evolution, and scientific impact of the literature on vaccine opposition, vaccine refusal, and vaccine hesitancyMethods: Data for this study were collected in August 2025 from the Web of Science Core Collection database. The VOSviewer software was used as the analysis tool to conduct bibliometric analyses through performance analysis and scientific mapping. For bibliometric data, the keywords “anti-vaccine,” “vaccine rejection,” and “vaccine hesitation” were used in the search.Results: The search revealed that between 2004 and 2024, a total of 8,261 articles were published with the terms “anti-vaccine,” “vaccine rejection,” or “vaccine hesitation” in their titles or keywords. The highest number of publications and citations was observed in 2022. The average number of citations per article was found to be 52.16. In terms of publication volume, the United States ranked first, while Türkiye ranked tenth. Among institutions, Eve Dubé from Laval University, Canada, was This study was conducted to map the structure of the field by analyzing the trends, relationships, temporal evolution, and scientific impact of the literature on vaccine opposition, vaccine refusal, and vaccine hesitancyas the most influential researcher in this field. The most impactful study was MacDonald’s 2015 article published in Vaccine titled “Vaccine Hesitancy: Definition, Scope and Determinants.”Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis demonstrates a growing global interest in the topics of vaccine opposition, vaccine rejection, and vaccine hesitancy. Türkiye is among the leading countries contributing to the literature in this field. The study is significant as it provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current state of the literature on vaccine opposition and offers guidance for future research through an original bibliometric perspective.