Phase transition in the Sznajd model with independence

We propose a model of opinion dynamics which describes two major types of social influence -- conformity and independence. Conformity in our model is described by the so called outflow dynamics (known as Sznajd model). According to sociologists' suggestions, we introduce also a second type of social influence, known in social psychology as independence. Various social experiments have shown that the level of conformity depends on the society. We introduce this level as a parameter of the model and show that there is a continuous phase transition between conformity and independence

Exit probability in a one-dimensional nonlinear q-voter model

We formulate and investigate the nonlinear $q$-voter model (which as special cases includes the linear voter and the Sznajd model) on a one dimensional lattice. We derive analytical formula for the exit probability and show that it agrees perfectly with Monte Carlo simulations. The puzzle, that we deal with here, may be contained in a simple question: "Why the mean field approach gives the exact formula for the exit probability in the one-dimensional nonlinear $q$-voter model?". To answer this question we test several hypothesis proposed recently for the Sznajd model, including the finite size effects, the influence of the range of interactions and the importance of the initial step of the evolution. On the one hand, our work is part of a trend of the current debate on the form of the exit probability in the one-dimensional Sznajd model but on the other hand, it concerns the much broader problem of nonlinear $q$-voter model