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Published on: September 28, 2018
The mitigating effect of external shocks on opinion polarization
Jihong Chen1, Siyu Jiang1, Luoluo Jiang2
1School of Computer, Electronics and Information, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
Chaos (Woodbury, N.Y.)
|July 24, 2026
Summary
External shocks can mitigate extreme political polarization. Timely and intense single shocks, or frequent periodic shocks, effectively reduce or reverse group opinion polarization by optimizing intervention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Political Science
- Computational Social Science
Background:
- Mutual distrust and hostility between political parties intensify public ideological polarization.
- Extreme group opinion polarization poses challenges to societal cohesion and democratic processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether external shocks can act as buffers to mitigate extreme group opinion polarization.
- To model the impact of single and periodic external shocks on the evolution of group polarization.
Main Methods:
- A computational model simulating two groups with attraction and repulsion rules was developed.
- The model incorporated single and periodic external shocks as buffering interventions.
- Simulations analyzed the effects of shock intensity, timing, and periodicity on polarization dynamics.
Main Results:
- A single external shock of adequate intensity and timely implementation significantly suppressed or reversed extreme opinion polarization.
- For periodic shocks, the shock period correlated with the intensity threshold needed to reverse polarization.
- Decreasing the shock interval reduced the required intensity to alleviate or reverse polarization.
Conclusions:
- External shocks can effectively mitigate or reverse extreme group opinion polarization.
- Optimizing intervention strategies, including shock intensity and frequency, is crucial for regulating polarized group attitudes.
- The findings offer insights into potential mechanisms for managing societal divisions.
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