AN OPINION FORMATION MODEL WITH TWO STAGES

Abstract

The opinion formation process is a general phenomenon in community and society. In recent years, several models of opinion formation have been proposed; however, most models mainly focus on describing views exchange between individuals and interaction between individuals and the environment. In this paper, we present an opinion formation model which takes into account the initial state of opinions and the contacting process with topics. The model involves two stages. The first one is the process in which individuals contact a given topic for the first time and the second one is the social interaction process between individuals. Using the proposed model, we simulate opinion formation process with several sets of parameters. Simulation results indicate that the proposed model may be successfully used for opinion formation simulations. It is also found that the initial state and contacting process have significant influence on opinion formation. Moreover, the model could be helpful for understanding some social phenomena such as quick formation of public opinion about certain topic and the crucial effect of small fluctuations on opinion distribution.