Work

Exploring the impact of social influence on parents’ intention to use institutional childcare: a cross-sectional study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: China is actively responding to low birth rates by developing childcare institutions to alleviate the parenting pressures on families. However, despite strong childcare demand, the enrollment rate remains low. Few studies have explored the role of social influence in parents' childcare decisions. Therefore, this study will construct a research model to explore the mechanisms of social influence on parents' intentions to use childcare institutions. METHODS: This study used parents of infants and toddlers in mainland China as the study population. Questionnaires were collected through electronic surveys created on a professional website, with 554 responses gathered through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). RESULTS: The results indicate that perceived benefits are the significant driving variable for parents' intention to use childcare institutions, while price sensitivity and perceived risk are significant barriers. Normative influence and perceived childcare policy significantly affect perceived benefits and price sensitivity, while informational influence has a significant positive effect on perceived risk. Additionally, the Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) shows that improvements should focus more on price sensitivity given the current low performance. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide insights for childcare policymakers and institutional childcare managers and will generate a management basis for developing China's childcare service industry.

Source: BMC Health Services Research

DOI: 10.1186/s12913-025-12362-z

Authors: Bo Yu, Difan Zhang, Yin Sun, Yuna Yao, Yingji Li, Huiling Hu

Institutions: Kunming University of Science and Technology, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shandong Yingcai University, National Taipei University of Business

Language: English

Topic: Consumer Behavior and Marketing Influence

Subfield: Marketing

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,290