Effects of awareness and policy on green behavior spreading in multiplex networks

As green behavior plays an increasingly important role today, in this paper, we aimed at investigating the spreading process of city resident green behavior. We applied classical threshold model and modified contagion model into a multiplex network to illustrate this dynamic process. Since people always act in conformity with the majorities when they make decisions or take actions, we consider the effects on negative individuals from their positive friends. Only when the proportion of centrist's positive friends surpassed the local awareness ratio α, will he become positive. Also, we consider the influence from green awareness, which facilitate the green behavior. Last but not least, compulsory policy is also taken into account because it will force specific negative individuals to take such green behavior. The theoretical analysis is conducted by microscopic Markov chain approach and the numerical simulations are performed based on the Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that the intensity of policy regulation θ plays a vital role in both spreading threshold and final green behavior size. We attain a new explanation on the extinction of some behaviors and may provide advice on policy modification.