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How University Entrepreneurship Support Affects College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions: An Empirical Analysis from China

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  • Genshu Lu

    (Department of Sociolgy, School of Humanities and Social Science & West China Higher Education Evaluation Centre, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China)

  • Yaping Song

    (School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China)

  • Bingchao Pan

    (School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
    School of Educational Science, Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi’an 710100, China)

Abstract

Given the major role of new enterprises founded by university alumni in creating employment and promoting economic development, it is well known that Chinese universities have implemented plenty of impressive initiatives to support students’ entrepreneurship. However, little is yet known about how students evaluate university entrepreneurship support and how it affects students’ entrepreneurial intentions. This study utilizes 13,954 recent college graduates from Chinese higher education institutions as a sample and aims to examine students’ perceptions of the support they received from universities and its influence on students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The results illustrate that students are not very satisfied with various university entrepreneurship supports. Findings also indicate that university entrepreneurship support positively impacts students’ entrepreneurial intentions, although it is not a very strong relationship. Moreover, university entrepreneurship support positively affects entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, which in turn determine entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial attitude, subjective norms, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy play a mediating role between university entrepreneurship support and entrepreneurial intention. The study contributes to the entrepreneurial literature theoretically and provides practical recommendations for policymakers and university administrators in China to reconsider and improve their entrepreneurship supports to encourage more students to become entrepreneurs.

Suggested Citation

  • Genshu Lu & Yaping Song & Bingchao Pan, 2021. "How University Entrepreneurship Support Affects College Students’ Entrepreneurial Intentions: An Empirical Analysis from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-25, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:6:p:3224-:d:517415
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    3. Simpy Malhotra & Ravi Kiran, 2023. "Examining the Relationship between Entrepreneurial Perceived Behaviour, Intentions, and Competencies as Catalysts for Sustainable Growth: An Indian Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.
    4. Kelvin Luka Nzilano & Hawa Petro Tundui & Daniel Wilson Ndyetabula, 2022. "Perceived university support and technical graduates’ intentions to venture into business start-ups in Tanzania: does institutional support matter?," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 12(1), pages 465-477, December.
    5. Mohamed Ali Shabeeb Ali & Mohammed Abdullah Ammer & Ibrahim A. Elshaer, 2023. "Born to Be Green: Antecedents of Green Entrepreneurship Intentions among Higher Education Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-20, April.
    6. Meqbel M. Aliedan & Ibrahim A. Elshaer & Mansour A. Alyahya & Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih, 2022. "Influences of University Education Support on Entrepreneurship Orientation and Entrepreneurship Intention: Application of Theory of Planned Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Nabil Al-Qadasi & Gongyi Zhang & Ibrahim Al-Jubari, 2021. "Attitude of youth towards self-employment: Evidence from university students in Yemen," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-20, September.
    8. Temitayo Shenkoya & Kyung Yun Hwang & Eul Hyun Sung, 2023. "Student Startup: Understanding the Role of the University in Making Startups Profitable Through University—Industry Collaboration," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, September.
    9. Carissa Tibia Walidayni & Dina Dellyana & Evy Rachmawati Chaldun, 2023. "Towards SDGs 4 and 8: How Value Co-Creation Affecting Entrepreneurship Education’s Quality and Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-22, March.
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