Contrarian effect in opinion forming: insights from Greta Thunberg phenomenon

TL;DR

This paper explores how contrarian agents influence public opinion polarization on climate change, using a model inspired by the Greta Thunberg phenomenon to analyze indirect effects on collective beliefs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel opinion dynamics model incorporating various contrarian types and interconnected opinions, providing insights into polarization mechanisms.

Findings

Contrarians significantly impact opinion polarization.

Interdependent opinions amplify collective effects.

Numerical tests reveal key features of the model.

Abstract

In recent months the figure of Greta Thunberg and the theme of climate changings quickly became the focus of the debate. This has lead to a polarization effect in opinion forming about the climate subject. Starting from the analysis of this phenomenon, we develop an opinion dynamics model in which several types of contrarians agents are considered. Each agent is supposed to have an opinion on several topics related to each other, thus the opinions being formed on these topics are also mutually dependent. The aim of the paper is to investigate the indirect effects of contrarians agents on the collective opinion about these topics. Several numerical tests are presented in order to highlight the main features of the model.