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On the interaction between social opinion dynamics and epidemic propagation

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The response to an epidemic, in terms of the degree to which healthcare protocols are followed, is not the same for all individuals. Some may follow these strategies to the fullest extent, while some may dismiss them as superfluous. We shall be referring to these responses as opinions regarding the healthcare policies(or protocols). A spectrum of such opinions can be observed in society ranging from fully following to does not follow at all. Intuitively, one could deduce that it is these opinions that determine the longevity of an epidemic. Moreover, these opinions are not static. Each individual possesses the potential to update their opinion based on the opinions of their neighbors. In this research, we derive a relationship between the dynamics of infection propagation and the opinion dynamics concerning healthcare policies. In other words, we wish to observe how these two quantities vary with respect to one another. We construct three models, the opinion dynamics model - independent of the number of infections, the epidemic propagation model- dependent on the opinions of individuals, and the opinion dynamics model -as a function of the number of infections in a given neighborhood. We then perform a stability analysis on each of these models to prove convergence. Also, we attach simulation results to show how these models progress with time.

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  • etd-64361
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  • 2022
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  • 2022-04-27
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Permanent link to this page: https://digital.wpi.edu/show/db78tg174