A bounded confidence model that preserves the signs of the opinions

The aim of this paper is to suggest a modification to the usual bounded confidence model of opinion dynamics, so that “changes of opinion” (intended as changes of the sign of the initial state) of an agent are never induced by the dynamics. In order to do so, a bipartite consensus model is used, endowing it with a confidence range. The resulting signed bounded confidence model has a state-dependent connectivity and a behavior similar to its standard counterpart, but in addition it preserves the sign of the opinions by “repelling away” opinions localized near the origin but on different sides with respect to 0. Funding agencies: Swedish Research Council [2015-04390]