Impact of personality traits and sustainability education on green entrepreneurship behavior of university students: mediating role of green entrepreneurial intention

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate and examine how different personality traits (PT) and sustainability education (SE) given to students in universities impact their green entrepreneurial intention (GEI). The study also assessed the mediating function of green entrepreneurship behavior (GEB). This study is quantitative in nature and utilizes a cross-sectional research design with a focus on survey methodology. The instrument questionnaire was adopted from prior studies to collect the required data. The targeted population was students from a few universities in the cities of Halle and Lahore in Germany and Pakistan. The sample size was 451 respondents from universities in respected cities and countries. SPSS and Smart PLS were used for analysis. According to the findings, personality traits (PT) and sustainable education (SE) play a crucial role in influencing green entrepreneurial intention (GEI) and consequently significantly influence and lead to green entrepreneurial behavior (GEB). This research provides valuable insight for studying the relationship among personality traits (PT), sustainable education (SE), and green entrepreneurial behavior (GEB) mediated by green entrepreneurial intention (GEI). This combination has not been previously studied. Our study’s novelty rests in filling its methodological gap, as data is collected from Germany and Pakistan and a new model is introduced. This research cannot be generalizable in the context of other countries and different industries. Different situational and organizational factors could also influence this connection. Assuming that personality traits (PT) would have a direct influence on an individual’s entrepreneurial intention and subsequent behavior would be too simplistic.