Factors Influencing Entrepreneurial Intention among Undergraduate Students: Evidence from a University in Chengdu, China
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Abstract
Entrepreneurship contributes to innovation, economic growth, and graduate employment. Understanding university students’ entrepreneurial intentions is essential for universities to design effective support for aspiring entrepreneurs. This study aimed to: 1) investigate the level of entrepreneurial intention among fourth-year undergraduate students at Sichuan University; 2) analyze the influence of entrepreneurial attitude, social support, perceived behavioral control and university support on entrepreneurial intention. A quantitative survey was conducted among fourth-year undergraduates at Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan province. Proportional quota sampling was used to gather the 384 valid replies. A validated five-point Likert-scale questionnaire was used to gather the data (mean IOC = 0.98; Cronbach's α = 0.934–0.971). Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for analysis.
The findings indicated that students’ entrepreneurial intention was at low level. The four independent variables jointly accounted for 46.8% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention (R² = 0.468). Perceived behavioral control was the strongest predictor (β = 0.441), followed by entrepreneurial attitude (β = 0.280), university support (β = 0.170), and social support (β = 0.126). All four predictors were significantly and positively associated with entrepreneurial intention, supporting all four hypotheses. These findings suggest that university entrepreneurship support should prioritize students’ perceived capabilities, confidence, access to resources, and perceived control over starting a business.
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