DOES RELIGIOSITY MATTER FOR NEW VENTURE CREATION AMONG GEN Y AND GEN Z IN INDONESIA?

Abstract

This study provides empirical evidence of the role of religiosity in new venture creation and its additional moderating roles in individual entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge-sharing attitudes. It uses the lens of social cognitive and social capital theories by incorporating the generational cohort theory to explore Gen Y and Gen Z. This is a hypothetico-deductive study that employs a semi-structured survey of 84 Gen Y and 154 Gen Z respondents from Indonesia. The findings revealed that the effect of religiosity on venture creation was significantly negative for the Gen Y, and the two moderators played a significant role in the relationship between religiosity and venture creation only for the Gen Y. The findings of this study provide the new empirical discourse that even though the Gen Y and the Gen Z are considered digital natives, they have different religious views and behaviors notably when it comes to the decision to set up a new business. This study provides and opens new avenues for future research on this topic and highlights the urgency to explore the religious behavior of earlier generations towards venture creation.