Social entrepreneurial intention among university students in China

Abstract

The issues of employment, social inequality, and resource scarcity can be effectively addressed through social entrepreneurship, contributing to the growing research interest on the formation of social entrepreneurial intention. Using the theory of planned behaviour, the current study examined the influence of selected key factors on social entrepreneurial intention among university students. Based on the cross-sectional quantitative research design, online survey was conducted, which involved 684 students and graduates from five universities in Southern China. The obtained results demonstrated the significant and positive influence of perceived values on sustainability, opportunity recognition competency, attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on social entrepreneurial intention. Additionally, attitude towards entrepreneurship partially mediated the relationships of risk-taking propensity, self-efficacy, and need for achievement on social entrepreneurial intention. The multi-group analysis results also showed that need for achievement and social entrepreneurial intention differed significantly between genders, which provides new ideas for future investigations into the impact of gender on social entrepreneurial intentions. Based on the findings of this study, it is crucial that university students are exposed to relevant courses or training to develop social entrepreneurship competencies and promote sustainable values. The findings of this study will provide policymakers with relevant policy guidelines and more effective theoretical support to achieve the goal of promoting social entrepreneurship among university students in a more resource-efficient and effective manner.

The effect mechanism of perceived entrepreneurial environment on Chinese college students’ entrepreneurial intention: chain mediation model test

“…Previous studies have focused more on the internal and external factors of entrepreneurs ( Mohammad and Majed, 2024 ). In fact, the influencing factors of entrepreneurial intention among college students are diverse, driven by both internal and external factors ( Lyu et al, 2024 ). Therefore, this study systematically investigates the influencing factors of college students’ entrepreneurial intention guided by the perception of entrepreneurial environment, and reveals the theoretical and practical value of college students’ achievement motivation and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in their entrepreneurial growth process.…”