Berkeley Undergraduate Journal

After the three-decade-long one-child policy and the six-year-long two-child policy, China announced on May 31, 2021, that Chinese couples are recommended to have three children. To understand the Chinese public's responses to the new family planning policy, this research analyzed data from reposts and comments on thirty-five relevant policy posts published by verified news media accounts on Sina Weibo between May 31, 2021, and June 30, 2021. The results showed that Sina Weibo users found the policy disrespectful and difficult to fulfill in multiple realms. First, many complained that the new policy disregarded the one-child policy's influence while promoting a similarly fixed reproduction goal. They believed that the three-child policy mainly came from the nation’s need for more labor forces. Meanwhile, policy compliance was linked to patriotism. Second, without more governmental support, raising three children would be hard financially for many Sina Weibo users. High expenses in housing, education, healthcare, and elderly care overwhelmed many, who had to work hard despite stressful work conditions. A common suspicion was that the three-child policy would widen the wealth gap. Third, women suffered from workplace discrimination and low status in family life, and lots of users argued that the new policy would make it worse. The overall responses on Sina Weibo reposts and comments were negative, accompanied by sarcastic emoticons, homophones, and acronyms. As a result, the three-child policy would likely have a limited, if any, impact on China's demographic patterns without strong policy support addressing social issues in other realms.