Significance of bounded confidence in shaping pluralistic ignorance

Opinions are shaped at the individual level through social interactions and personal experiences. The spread of opinions has been a significant area of interest in studies. Researchers examine the dynamics of social phenomena such as polarization, the spiral of silence, and pluralistic ignorance. This study delves into the details of opinion formation, with a focus on the phenomenon of pluralistic ignorance (PI) and its dynamics within diverse societies, especially under the influence of zealots. Pluralistic ignorance arises when individuals privately oppose a norm but mistakenly believe that the majority supports it, leading to a misalignment between public and private opinions. The impact of extremists on creating a discrepancy between private and expressed opinions is highlighted, emphasizing the uncertain dynamics of minority influence on the majority. The aim is to unravel the complex interaction between zealots and pluralistic ignorance in various societal scenarios, providing insights into the spread of opinions and societal dynamics. To unravel this complexity, an expressed-private opinion model and a bounded confidence model are employed, utilizing an agent-based modeling approach to analyze the evolution of this discrepancy over time. One of our experimental results is that individuals can maintain different opinions while society seems to be in consensus. In certain societies, bounded confidence reinforces pluralistic ignorance.