Sentiment Analysis of Public Opinions on the Higher Education Expansion Policy in China

Drawing on sentiment analysis, this study explores public opinions on the higher education expansion policy that was specifically implemented by China's government to navigate graduate employment difficulties against the impact of COVID-19. The results indicated that the overall degree of acceptance of the expansion plan was highly positive, but some people expressed negative opinions and concerns about over-education and deferral of employment pressure. The results also suggested that the government is expected to deal with the balance between higher education expansion and graduate employment difficulties by prioritizing domestic graduate employment rather than opening up permanent resident applications for foreigners, allocating a regionally balanced expansion quota, covering social science disciplines, and creating more employment opportunities. The findings provide important suggestions for policymakers to improve policy practice and offer a referable sample for other countries in their management of graduate employment issues influenced by COVID-19.