A Study on the Impact of Number of Children on Household Education Expenditure ——An Empirical Analysis Based on the "Shanghai University Survey of Resident Life in New Era Megacities" Data

Li Hengyu, Han Yu^*

School of Political Law, University of Jinan

Abstract：

Against the backdrop of low fertility and widespread educational anxiety, the "quantity-quality trade-off" in family fertility and education investment demands new empirical testing. Drawing on child quantity-quality substitution theory and data from the "Shanghai University Survey of Resident Life in New Era Megacities," this study uses OLS regression to analyze the impact of number of children on average education expenditure per child. Baseline results show that families with more children allocate higher per-child educational investment. The study suggests that in megacities, such families may have stronger educational preferences or better resource access, and the intensified competition pressure among multi-child families may also paradoxically raise per-child expenditure. This research provides new evidence on megacity residents' household education investment under relaxed fertility policies and offers targeted policy recommendations.

Key Words：

number of children; education expenditure; household education investment