Socioeconomic status and inequalities in early development of non-cognitive skills: Evidence from China

IF 5.9 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

中国经济评论 Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-28 DOI:10.1016/j.chieco.2025.102586

Dongqin Wang , Minghong Shen , Xiaogang Wu

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Abstract

Non-cognitive skills are a critical component of human capital. This paper investigates the associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and early childhood non-cognitive development, using data from the Survey of Early Education, Development, and Strengths (SEEDS) conducted among kindergarten-aged children in Hangzhou, China. Using a machine learning approach with the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE), we identify a high family annual income and parental university education as the strongest indicators linked to non-cognitive skill development. Employing OLS and fixed effects models, we find robust positive associations between these SES factors and children's non-cognitive outcomes. Children from high-income households with university-educated parents exhibit the highest skill levels across domains such as communication, self-regulation, autonomy, and socialization—a pattern of “double advantage.” Our analysis further reveals that parenting styles and financial investments are closely related to these disparities. These findings highlight the need for policies targeting multidimensional SES barriers to mitigate early-life inequalities and promote human capital development and socioeconomic mobility.

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非认知技能早期发展中的社会经济地位和不平等：来自中国的证据

非认知技能是人力资本的重要组成部分。本文利用杭州市幼儿园幼儿早期教育、发展与优势调查（SEEDS）的数据，研究了社会经济地位（SES）与幼儿非认知发展之间的关系。使用年龄和阶段问卷：社会情感（ASQ:SE）的机器学习方法，我们确定高家庭年收入和父母的大学教育是与非认知技能发展相关的最强指标。采用OLS和固定效应模型，我们发现这些社会经济地位因素与儿童的非认知结果之间存在显著的正相关。父母受过大学教育的高收入家庭的孩子在沟通、自我调节、自主和社交等领域表现出最高的技能水平——一种“双重优势”模式。我们的分析进一步表明，父母教养方式和财务投资与这些差异密切相关。这些发现突出表明，需要制定针对多维社会经济地位障碍的政策，以减轻早期生活不平等，促进人力资本开发和社会经济流动性。

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来源期刊

中国经济评论 ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

10.60

自引率

4.40%

发文量

380

期刊介绍： The China Economic Review publishes original works of scholarship which add to the knowledge of the economy of China and to economies as a discipline. We seek, in particular, papers dealing with policy, performance and institutional change. Empirical papers normally use a formal model, a data set, and standard statistical techniques. Submissions are subjected to double-blind peer review.