Why parental anxiety persists: A typological analysis of educational anxiety mechanisms under the “Double Reduction” policy

Introduction Despite China's “Double Reduction” policy aiming to reduce students' academic burden, parental educational anxiety has persisted and, in some cases, intensified. Understanding its heterogeneous patterns and underlying mechanisms remains an important research question. Methods This study adopts a mixed-methods design. Using survey data from 1,526 parents, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) is employed to identify distinct anxiety profiles. Survival analysis and the Cox Proportional Hazards model are used to examine variation in anxiety-relief patterns across profiles. In addition, qualitative interviews with 30 parents are conducted to provide interpretive insights into the underlying mechanisms. Results Three profiles of parental educational anxiety are identified: the Educationally Laid-back Type, the Academic-Centric & Resource-Independent Type, and the Resource-Sensitive Comprehensive Anxiety Type. Descriptive differences in the timing of anxiety relief are observed across groups. The findings further suggest that variation in anxiety is patterned along differences in family capital, orientations toward educational competition, and perceptions of policy-induced uncertainty. Specifically, some parents tend to alleviate anxiety through cognitive reframing, while others exhibit cyclical investment-anxiety dynamics or persistent uncertainty associated with institutional constraints. Discussion These findings highlight the heterogeneous nature of parental educational anxiety and suggest that its persistence under policy reform is shaped by the interaction of institutional context, cultural expectations, and family capital structures. The study underscores the importance of adopting a mechanism-oriented and context-sensitive perspective when interpreting parental responses to educational policy change.