Effects of the “double reduction” policy on the commercial tutoring sector in China

In recent years, East Asian students have increasingly enrolled in after-school training programs, leading to a notable increase in their academic workloads. Governments are actively striving to alleviate excessive educational pressure and reshape students’ approaches to after-school training. This study explores the impact of the “double reduction” policy on students’ participation in after-school commercial tutoring using Dianping app data for 2020–2022 in China. Our findings reveal that the policy decreased language training involvement and increased students’ sports training involvement. The mechanism analysis shows that from the supply side, a change in the number of training institutions is the main reason for the change in after-school training participation, whereas, on the demand side, the policy reduces anxiety levels and arouses parents’ attention toward family education. Further tests reveal that students in cities with advanced industrial structures and intensive training institutions exhibited greater sensitivity to policy changes.