Spatial clustering in vaccination hesitancy: the role of social influence and social selection

The phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy behavior has gained ground over the last three decades, jeopardizing the maintenance of herd immunity. This behavior tends to cluster spatially, creating pockets of unprotected sub-populations that can be hotspots for outbreak emergence. What remains less understood are the social mechanisms that can give rise to spatial clustering in vaccination behavior, particularly at the landscape scale. We focus on the presence of spatial clustering, and aim to mechanistically understand how different social processes can give rise to this phenomenon. In particular, we propose two hypotheses to explain the presence of spatial clustering: (i) social selection, in which vaccine-hesitant individuals share socio-demographic traits, and clustering of these traits generates spatial clustering in vaccine hesitancy; and (ii) social influence, in which hesitant behavior is contagious and spreads through neighboring societies, leading to hesitant clusters. Adopting a theoretical spatial network approach, we explore the role of these two processes in generating patterns of spatial clustering in vaccination behaviors under a range of spatial structures. We find that both processes are independently capable of generating spatial clustering, and the more spatially structured the social dynamics in a society are, the higher spatial clustering in vaccine-hesitant behavior it realizes. Together, we demonstrate that these processes result in unique spatial configurations of hesitant clusters, and we validate our models on both processes with fine-grain empirical data on vaccine hesitancy, social determinants, and social connectivity in the US. Finally, we propose, and evaluate the effectiveness of, two novel intervention strategies to diminish hesitant behavior. Our generative modeling approach informed by unique empirical data provides insights on the role of complex social processes in driving spatial heterogeneity in vaccine hesitancy.

Network Structure and Community Evolution Online: Behavioral and Emotional Changes in Response to COVID-19

Background: The measurement and identification of changes in the social structure in response to an exceptional event like COVID-19 can facilitate a more informed public response to the pandemic and provide fundamental insights on how collective social processes respond to extreme events.Objective: In this study, we built a generalized framework for applying social media data to understand public behavioral and emotional changes in response to COVID-19.Methods: Utilizing a complete dataset of Sina Weibo posts published by users in Wuhan from December 2019 to March 2020, we constructed a time-varying social network of 3.5 million users. In combination with community detection, text analysis, and sentiment analysis, we comprehensively analyzed the evolution of the social network structure, as well as the behavioral and emotional changes across four main stages of Wuhan's experience with the epidemic.Results: The empirical results indicate that almost all network indicators related to the network's size and the frequency of social interactions increased during the outbreak. The number of unique recipients, average degree, and transitivity increased by 24, 23, and 19% during the severe stage than before the outbreak, respectively. Additionally, the similarity of topics discussed on Weibo increased during the local peak of the epidemic. Most people began discussing the epidemic instead of the more varied cultural topics that dominated early conversations. The number of communities focused on COVID-19 increased by nearly 40 percent of the total number of communities. Finally, we find a statistically significant “rebound effect” by exploring the emotional content of the users' posts through paired sample t-test (P = 0.003).Conclusions: Following the evolution of the network and community structure can explain how collective social processes changed during the pandemic. These results can provide data-driven insights into the development of public attention during extreme events.

RURAL TERRITORIES AS A SYSTEM OF INTERACTION OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROCESSES

The article deals with the problems of interaction of economic and social processes in rural municipal areas, which is a determining factor in the quality of life of the rural population. The aim is to study on the basis of constructive simplification of the territorial system the allocation of its subsystems for separate study. The criterion for such allocation is to take into account the main links considered by the economic and social subsystems with the structure of the system as a whole. Rural territory can be represented in the form of interconnected spatial subsystems of the following: agricultural production, household, service, transport and information communications. At the same time, the potential for consumption of material and spiritual goods can be considered from the standpoint of three types of social accessibility: material, spiritual and spatial-temporal. It is revealed that the main disproportions in the modern development of rural areas are the disproportions between the potential of consumption, on the one hand, and the level of actual availability of material and spiritual goods, on the other. To eliminate these imbalances, it is advisable to use system analysis tools that allow you to obtain the necessary information about the interaction of social and economic factors. At the same time, the study of current trends in the interaction of economic and social processes that determine the standard of living of the rural population shows that the placement of capital investments within a rural municipal district should be based on a comprehensive cost-effectiveness analysis, since the evaluation of the effectiveness of investments for individual objects does not take into account the interrelationships, interaction and synergetic effect of socio-economic factors affecting the qual

The symbolic costs of advice: how social situations explain the occurrence of unplanned knowledge sharing interactions

PurposeInformal knowledge sharing interactions (IKSI) are of particular value for innovation projects. This is especially true for unplanned IKSI, because they are even more likely to provide non-redundant knowledge and new perspectives than planned IKSI. Seminal studies have shown that the formation of unplanned IKSI can be explained on the basis of spatial structures. Strictly speaking, however, these studies only explain unplanned encounters. Whether unplanned IKSI result from these unplanned encounters, though, cannot be satisfactorily explained on the basis of spatial configurations alone. The purpose of this paper is to tackle this explanatory gap by unraveling the fundamental social processes by application of the symbolic interaction theory.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, the formation of 132 IKSI on innovation projects from three research and development departments of large companies was recorded in detail using a combination of diaries and interviews. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe analysis reveals that IKSI cause symbolic costs (image damages), and that these costs vary between types of social situations. Because actors anticipate situation-specific costs, their propensity to initiate IKSI can be explained in terms of the situations in which they encounter one another. Furthermore, the analysis reveals six particularly relevant characteristics of situations and further elaborates the basic argument by analyzing their functioning.Originality/valueThe paper complements previous explanations of unplanned IKSI by opening up the social processes underlying their formation.

Affect Control Theories: A Double Special Issue in Honor of David R. Heise

We introduce this two-part special issue that celebrates David Heise and his pathbreaking theories: affect control theory (ACT), affect control theory of the self (ACTS), and affect control theory of institutions (ACTI). These interlocking, multi-level, mathematically based theories explain a range of social processes, including impression formation, social interaction, trait and mood attributions, emotional experiences, emotion management, and identity adoption, and they do so in multiple languages and cultures. The 15 articles in this two-part issue test, apply, and develop the theories in new and innovative ways. After briefly summarizing each theory and Bayesian affect control theory (BayesACT), we highlight the key findings from each of the articles that follow.

Family Violence Resolution Strategies. Legal Prevention and Education Against Ignorance

The article analyses the strategies for reducing the phenomena of domestic violence, focusing on the legal preventive measures. It highlights the historical aspects of the problem, by referring to the legal framework, in trying to overcome it. By introducing the causes and the nature of the domestic violence in Uzbekistan, leveraging into a theoretical, historical and legal analysis, social measures are weighted in relation to the domestic violence. The methodological approaches in the study of social processes of domestic violence are used meanwhile evaluating the social consequences of domestic violence, considering the correlation between the increased instability in the society and the level of social dissatisfaction of the population. The paper, by referring to the Laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Protection of Women from Oppression and Violence”, as well as to several other laws and regulations on regard, makes a review to the reforms and notebooks such as “iron notebook”, “youth” and “women”, where special attention is paid to the correlations between unemployment of youth and women and the phenomena of domestic violence.

Assessment of EAP Literacies in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms

Older views of the English for Academic Purposes Literacies (EAPL) assessment have been in line with the assessment of the four-skills second language (L2) competencies. However, the new understanding is that literacy is not just a cognitive competence of reading and writing but also a set of other purposeful social processes. This understanding makes EAPL assessment multifaceted by calling upon a set of supra-linguistic behaviors, i.e., cognitive and social skills in addition to L2 competencies. This chapter starts with a brief history and the current state of theoretical constructs (of what is actually assessed) of EAPL assessment. It then centers its discussion on different academic literacies models, and the critical issues in measuring EAPL. The author highlights different strategies for planning assessment in the practical applications of academic literacies constructs. The chapter ends with the presentation of useful steps in creating EAPL assessments.

Medicine and athletics evolution

The article discusses the most popular type of Olympic movement — athletics. All stages of athletics formation and development are highlighted and described.A connection from ancient athleticism to modern Olympism is described, including the problem of globalization of sports and medical supervision.From the very beginning, athletics has established itself as an international sport in which men and women from all over the world participate.New trends of the late XX — early XXI century have a serious impact on various areas of modern life, including the sports industry and the Olympic movement.The communication revolution has brought not only benefits, but also created new problems. Based on the study of athletics development, it has been established that the Olympic movement remains an important international institution working to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation between peoples.Further, the International Olympic Committee notes the expansion of educational work to spread the Olympic values and ideals of sport.The article is devoted to topical issues of the Olympic movement, which have a significant impact on social processes.