关键词: 婴幼儿照顾, 照顾偏好, 托育服务, 优劣尺度法

Abstract: When policymakers design child care policies, it is important to know maternal preferences for child care. Based on survey data collected in Nanjing, Wuhan, and Xi'an city, this research uses Best-Worst Scaling to explore maternal preferences for infant care. Results show that non-parental care is commonly used by mothers when they raise young children. There is a high demand for child care services. Mothers place more value on quality-oriented child care characteristics than practical-oriented child care characteristics. They believe that the most important characteristic of child care is to create a safe and loving caring environment. Maternal preferences for child care characteristics are significantly related to their child care choices. Mothers who value the accessibility of child care resources and caregivers' skills of early education and feeding tend to choose child care services. Thus, policymakers should pay more attention to both the quantity and quality of child care resources.