Stochastic bounded confidence opinion dynamics
Résumé
In a vast body of opinion dynamics literature, an
agent updates its opinion based on the opinions of its neighbors
in a static social graph, regardless of their differences in
opinions. In contrast, the bounded confidence opinion dynamics
does not presume a static interaction graph, and instead limits
interactions to those agents that share related opinions (i.e.,
whose opinions are close to one another). We generalize the
bounded confidence opinion dynamics model by incorporating
stochastic interactions based on opinion differences and the
endogenous evolution of the agent opinions, which itself is a
random process. We analytically characterize the conditions
under which this stochastic dynamics is stable in an appropriate
sense.