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Generation Gaps: An Agent-Based Model of Opinion Shifts Among Cohorts

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Advances in Social Simulation

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Complexity ((SPCOM))

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Abstract

This paper presents the findings of an agent-based model of the shift toward liberal opinions over time within contemporary European populations. Empirical findings and theoretical reflection on this sort of shift suggest that cohort effects, and especially changes in the opinions of teenagers, are a primary driver of liberalization at the population level. We outline the core features and dynamics of the model and report on several optimization experiments that clarify the conditions under which—and the mechanisms by which—opinions become more liberal as agents interact with one another within and across cohorts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway

    Ivan Puga-Gonzalez & F. LeRon Shults

  2. Center for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE, Kristiansand, Norway

    Ivan Puga-Gonzalez & F. LeRon Shults

Authors
  1. Ivan Puga-Gonzalez
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  2. F. LeRon Shults
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Financial Markets, Cracow University of Economics, Kraków, Poland

    Marcin Czupryna

  2. SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland

    Bogumił Kamiński

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Puga-Gonzalez, I., Shults, F.L. (2022). Generation Gaps: An Agent-Based Model of Opinion Shifts Among Cohorts. In: Czupryna, M., Kamiński, B. (eds) Advances in Social Simulation. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92843-8_18

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