An Exploratory Study on Awareness of the Multi-Child Policy: Topic Modeling Analysis of Comments on News articles about the Multi-Child Policy

Abstract

This study is an exploratory analysis of the general public’s perception of the multiple-child policy, using comments on news articles related to the policy. From December 15, 2020 to July 31, 2023, a period that coincided with the 4th Basic Plan for a Low-Birth and Aging Society, which expanded the multi-child support as well as extended the eligibility from families with three or more children to families with two or more children, we collected a total of 10,097 comments from 2,882 articles using keywords such as “multi-child policy”, “multi-child support” and “multi-child standards” TF-IDF analysis, N-gram analysis, and topic modeling analysis were performed using this data. The analysis revealed that while the general public supports the multi-child policy as a crucial measure to address population decline and low birth rates(Topic 1), other topics that emerged include improving perceptions of benefits and support(Topic 2), enhancing job stability and career security(Topic 3), ensuring housing stability(Topic 4), promoting flexible gender roles and resolving gender conflicts(Topic 5), and supporting care and education(Topic 6). Based on these findings, we discussed policy implications.