Opinion Distributions in the Real World

Abstract

Models and mechanisms for the dynamics of opinion dynamics are an intriguing topic where complex systems research wants to contribute to our understanding of the phenomenon of polarization. A problem is that social processes and in particular opinion dynamics in the real world do not unfold in isolation, also other factors than just local interaction about opinions determine the opinions of individuals. In the talk I will present opinion distributions from movie ratings and attitude surveys and showcase some directions for a complementary more data-driven modeling approach.