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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Phys.
Sec. Social Physics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphy.2024.1501807
This article is part of the Research Topic Real-World Applications of Game Theory and Optimization, Volume II View all 6 articles

Evolutionary Modeling and Analysis of Opinion Exchange and Epidemic Spread Among Individuals

Provisionally accepted
Rong Zeng Rong Zeng 1Xinghua Chang Xinghua Chang 2*Bo Liu Bo Liu 1
  • 1 Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
  • 2 Taiyuan University, Taiyuan, Shaanxi, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The opinions of individuals within a group about an ongoing epidemic play a crucial role in the dynamics of epidemic spread. People's acceptance of others' opinions also changes with the changing epidemic situation and the dynamics of communication between individuals ， how individuals' opinions and acceptance of others' views on epidemics affect the spread of epidemics has become an unresolved issue. In this study, we construct a two-layer coupled network that integrates the Hegselmann-Krause (HK) continuous opinion model with an epidemic model. This framework takes into account the evolutionary game of opinion acceptance among individuals within the group. We investigate the dynamic interaction between opinion exchange among individuals and the spread of the epidemic and derive the epidemic spread threshold of the model using the Quasi-Mean-Field (QMF) approach. The results indicate that under different infection rates, individuals in the group spontaneously form varying levels of opinion about the epidemic, which in turn evolve into different final infection states for the group. The higher the infection rate, the faster a positive and unified opinion forms. Promoting communication among individuals within the group can, to some extent, inhibit the spread of the epidemic. However, due to the diversity and complexity of information in the real world, the phenomenon of "delayed epidemic prevention" often occurs.

    Keywords: Complex Network, epidemic, Game theory, HK model, QMF

    Received: 25 Sep 2024; Accepted: 30 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zeng, Chang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xinghua Chang, Taiyuan University, Taiyuan, Shaanxi, China

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