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Beyond the Big Five: does grit influence the entrepreneurial intent of university students in the US?

Author

Listed:
  • Nikolaus T. Butz

    (University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point)

  • Sheila Hanson

    (University of North Dakota)

  • Patrick L. Schultz

    (University of North Dakota)

  • Marissa M. Warzynski

    (University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between grit and entrepreneurial intent. Grit involves maintaining effort and interest in the pursuit of long-term goals, despite adversity, stagnation, or failure. Entrepreneurial intentions are a well-established indicator that represents an individual’s conscious determination to start a new business. Secondary variables included the personality traits measured in the Big Five model (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism). Survey data were collected from over 500 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university in the United States. The results confirmed that there was a strong positive association between grit and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, independent samples t-tests revealed that high grit students showed greater entrepreneurial intent than low grit students. The data also indicated that grit fully mediated the predictive effect of conscientious and neuroticism on entrepreneurial intent. Overall, a better understanding of the influence of grit on entrepreneurial intent, given the presence of various diverse personality constellations, may help inform educators in preparing and delivering course content. The influence of grit may reduce the failure rate of new and young businesses launched by college-educated entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Nikolaus T. Butz & Sheila Hanson & Patrick L. Schultz & Marissa M. Warzynski, 2018. "Beyond the Big Five: does grit influence the entrepreneurial intent of university students in the US?," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jglont:v:8:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1186_s40497-018-0100-z
    DOI: 10.1186/s40497-018-0100-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Francisco I. Vega-Gómez & Francisco J. Miranda González & Antonio Chamorro Mera & Jesus Pérez-Mayo, 2020. "Antecedents of Entrepreneurial Skills and Their Influence on the Entrepreneurial Intention of Academics," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, June.
    2. Chooi-Seong Lai & Mei-Yui Law & Chee-Seong Low & Mun-Keong Lai, 2020. "Personality Traits as Predictors to Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy with Gender and Family Background as Moderators," International Journal of Emerging Trends in Social Sciences, Scientific Publishing Institute, vol. 9(2), pages 51-62.
    3. Nezameddin Faghih & Ebrahim Bonyadi & Lida Sarreshtehdari, 2021. "On the utility of the stochastic processes in modeling the nexus between entrepreneurship and innovation: a nonparametric application of Bayesian inference," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 11(1), pages 97-111, December.
    4. Neharika Vohra & Supriya Sharma & Nobin Thomas, 2022. "Experiencing Live Action of Business: Reflections on an Immersive Course in Entrepreneurship," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 31(1), pages 184-219, March.
    5. Heru KRISTANTO & Radhitya Wisnhu PRATAMA, 2020. "Effects of the Neuroticism and Agreeableness Personality Types on Entrepreneurial Intention with Subjective Norm as Moderator," Expert Journal of Business and Management, Sprint Investify, vol. 8(1), pages 57-66.

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