A Multi-Dimensional Analysis and Governance Study of Online Public Opinion after the Enactment of China’s “Preschool Education Law” —Based on Python Analysis of Weibo Data in 2024
- 1 Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, Suzhou, China
- 2 Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, Suzhou, China
- 3 Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, Suzhou, China
- 4 Suzhou Early Childhood Education College, Suzhou, China
Abstract
The popularization of the “Preschool Education Law” is an important part of the current government’s educational governance. This study, using Python technology, selected the 7529 comments from the five most popular official media accounts on Sina Weibo since the promulgation of the “Preschool Education Law” in 2024 as the research object, and analyzed them from three aspects: subject composition, emotional tendency, and focal issues. The results show that the online public has a certain level of attention to the “Preschool Education Law”, but the spatial differentiation and gender differences presented there in reflect the possible existence of an “information cocoon” in the policy dissemination process. The online public’s overall emotional response to the promulgation of the “Preschool Education Law” is positive, but the presence of a certain proportion of neutral and negative emotions should be noted to be vigilant against potential risks in the implementation of the policy. The online public’s discussions on the “Preschool Education Law” focus on eight themes, which are the key issues that should be addressed in the process of promoting and popularizing the “Preschool Education Law”. Therefore, in the process of promoting the popularization of the “Preschool Education Law”, the government should pay attention to the differences among online public opinion groups, effectively carry out the popularization work of the “Preschool Education Law”; pay attention to the emotions of online public opinion, and guide them rationally, emotionally, and legally; and dynamically understand the focal issues to respond to the public’s demands for preschool education.
- China Internet Information Center (2025). The 55th Statistical Report on the Development of China ’ s Internet . https://www.cnnic.cn/n4/2025/0117/c88-11229.html
- Department of Development Planning Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (2024). Educational Statistical Yearbook of China 2023 . China Statistics Press.
- Downs, A. (1957). An Economic Theory of Democracy . Harper Press.
- edu.gov (2023). Statistical Bulletin on the Development of Education in Xizang in 2022 . http://edu.xizang.gov.cn/8/308/index.html
- Gao, F. F., & Song, D. H. (2025). Scaffolding or Shackling? Examining the Impact of Social Media Use on Young Working Mothers’ Motherhood Practice from the Affordance Perspective. Journal of China Women ’ s University, 2, 73-75. https://doi.org/10.13277/j.cnki.jcwu.2025.02.008
- Gong, B. T., & Liu, H. (2024). The Action Subjects, Emotional Attitudes, Hot Spots and Governance Strategies of China’s Education Fairness Network Public Opinion: An Analysis for Sina Weibo Data from 2023 Based on Python. Research in Educational Development, 12, 77-83. https://doi.org/10.14121/j.cnki.1008-3855.2024.12.011
- Gu, Q., & Wang, X. M. (2025). Network Public Opinion Analysis: Theory, Technology and Application . Tsinghua University Press.
- Hou, L. M. (2024). Legislation for Preschool Children: The Protection and Implementation of Preschool Education Law on Children’s Development. People ’ s Education, 22, 15-18.
- Li, J., Lu, L., Peng, X. M., Zeng, Y., & Wang, S. Q. (2023). Critical Discourse Analysis of Public Comments on the Government’s Guidance on the Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School by the Big Data Text Mining Technology. Studies in Early Childhood Education, 3, 70-82. https://doi.org/10.13861/j.cnki.sece.2023.03.008
- Lippmann, W. (2018). Public O pinion . Peking University Press.
- Mettler, S., & Soss, J. (2004). The Consequences of Public Policy for Democratic Citizenship: Bridging Policy Studies and Mass Politics. Perspectives on Politics, 2, 55-73. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592704000623
- National Bureau of Statistics of China (2025). Main Development Indicators of the Internet . https://data.stats.gov.cn/easyquery.htm?cn=E0103
- Papacharissi, Z. (2015). Affective Publics . Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199999736.001.0001