The Consequences of Social Pressures on Partisan Opinion Dynamics
Authored by Shyam Gouri Suresh, Scott Jeffrey
Date Published: 2017
DOI: 10.1057/eej.2016.6
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Mathematical description
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Abstract
We simulate an agent-based model of opinion dynamics in a two-party
framework to analyze party-and polity-wide consequences of social
pressures that compel individuals to publicly conform to their party
line. The model indicates that opinions polarize over time despite being
initialized uniformly across most members of both parties. Further, the
socially acceptable range of opinions in each party and the level of
partisanship prevalent in the polity play an important role in
determining the membership sizes of both parties, the median opinions of
both parties and the polity, and the level of polarization within and
across parties.
Tags
Evolution
polarization
Opinion dynamics
Model
Attitudes
Public-opinion
Silence
Conservatism
Bimodality
Pluralistic ignorance
Political polarization
Overton window
Partisanship