Exploring the influence of contextual factors on social entrepreneurial intentions: A study of generation Z

With the increasing trend of social entrepreneurship intention research, the literature is majorly fragmented into examining the influence of individual personality level factors. Little attention has been given to the role of contextual factors which affect the social entrepreneurial intention process. The purpose of the study is to explore the inter-relationships between contextual factors i.e., perceived support and perceived barriers with social entrepreneurship intentions of Generation Z in the presence of theory of planned behaviour. Data was collected from 610 students in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. PLS-SEM 4.0 was used for the analysis. PLSpredict and IPMA were employed. Results of our study highlights the significant positive impact of perceived support and negative impact of perceived barriers on social entrepreneurial intentions. Theory of planned behaviour holds different significant as a mediator for both the contextual factors. Majority of the current body of literature on social entrepreneurship has focused on testing intentions of older generations. Therefore, empirically testing the impact of contextual factors (combined) from entrepreneurship support system framework on social entrepreneurial intentions among the Generation Z in a developing economy context provides valuable insights.