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Dynamical evolution of social network polarization and its impact on the propagation of a virus

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  • Achitouv, Ixandra
  • Chavalarias, David

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in 2020 has highlighted the complex interplay between vaccine hesitancy and societal polarization. In this study, we analyze the dynamical polarization within a social network as well as the network properties before and after a vaccine was made available. Our results show that as the network evolves from a less structured state to one with more clustered communities. Then using an agent-based modeling approach, we simulate the propagation of a virus in a polarized society by assigning vaccines to pro-vaccine individuals and none to the anti-vaccine individuals. We compare this propagation to the case where the same number of vaccines is distributed homogeneously across the population. In polarized networks, we observe a significantly more widespread diffusion of the virus, highlighting the importance of considering polarization for epidemic forecasting.

Suggested Citation

  • Achitouv, Ixandra & Chavalarias, David, 2025. "Dynamical evolution of social network polarization and its impact on the propagation of a virus," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 199(P1).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:199:y:2025:i:p1:s0960077925006897
    DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2025.116676
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