Examining the effects of demographic, social and environmental factors on entrepreneurial intention

Abstract

Purpose – Creating employment for all seems to be impossible in emerging nations as the unemployment rate is rising faster than the number of job openings available. Studies on the other hand show that creating jobs is simple if the right resources and opportunities are made available. The present study aims to examine the effects of various demographic social and environmental factors on the entrepreneurial intention of engineering undergraduates in Chhattisgarh state. Design/methodology/approach – Correlational research design was incorporated in the present study. The author applied stratified random sampling to collect samples of 1,000 engineering undergraduates enrolled in their third and fourth years in different technical colleges/universities in Chhattisgarh state. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to analyse the data. Findings – The results revealed that demographic, social and environmental factors greatly influenced engineering undergraduates’ entrepreneurial intention. However, age and occupation do not predict their self-employment intention. Originality/value – The present research itself is a novel study, especially in Chhattisgarh state, where the area of examining the effects of demographic, social and environmental factors on entrepreneurial intention among technical undergraduates has been limitedly explored.

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurial intention
• Demographic factors
• Social factors
• Environmental factors
• Engineering undergraduates