Parental heuristics and demand for private tutoring: continuities amidst changes brought by China's double-reduction policy

During the initial decades of the present century, China was among countries known for their high enrolment rates in private tutoring alongside schooling. In 2021, government policy brought the tutorial sector to an abrupt and dramatic contraction. The policy was known as ‘double reduction’ since it targeted both out-of-school tutoring and school-administered homework. Among factors underlying the policy were the study burdens on young people and social inequalities arising from the fact that prosperous households could afford tutoring more easily than lower-income counterparts. Although some parents welcomed the policy, others persisted with demand for tutoring through hidden channels at higher prices. Developments thus demonstrated considerable continuity despite broader change. This article examines patterns based on mixed-methods research, paying particular attention to the heuristics through which parents made decisions about continuing demand for tutoring amidst changing equilibria. Showing the limits even of fierce government efforts, the paper has implications not only for China but also for other countries in which authorities desire to reduce the scale and ameliorate the implications of private tutoring.