Unfulfilled Resource Reallocation: The Cognitive Framework and Behavioral Inhibition of Chinese Family Art Education Decision-making under the "Double Reduction" Policy

Abstract

As a key way to promote individual cognitive development and emotional health, Art education, as a key contributor to individual cognitive development and emotional well-being, has garnered significant attention in family education decision-making. The "Double Reduction" policy implemented in China in 2021 aims to reduce the academic burden of students in the compulsory education stage. However, empirical evidence is scarce regarding its spillover effect on families’ investment in art education. Based on the two-period panel data of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2020 (before the policy) and 2022 (after the policy), this study constructs a difference-in-differences model (DID), regarding students in the compulsory education stage aged 6-15 as the treatment group and students in the preschool stage aged 0-5 as the control group to identify the net effect of the "Double Reduction" policy on students’ participation in art training. The study finds that the implementation of the policy does not trigger the expected "substitution effect", but instead shows a significant "inhibition effect". Specifically, the "Double Reduction" policy has caused the probability of students in the treatment group participating in art training to decrease significantly by 7.01 percentage points on average compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Heterogeneity analysis shows that this inhibition effect is more pronounced in urban, high-income families and those with highly educated parents. The research results reveal the complex influence mechanism of macro-education policies at the micro-family decision-making level, indicating that there may be a tendency of "bundled" contraction in families’ education investment decisions. The research conclusions have important reference value for understanding the current Chinese art education ecosystem, evaluating the comprehensive impact of the "Double Reduction" policy and formulating future quality education support policies.