Has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the intentions of individuals for a business venture? An integrated structural model approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article provides distinctive insights into the main antecedents of entrepreneurial intention (EI) during the COVID-19 pandemic, merging Ajzen’s version of the Theory of Planned Behavior with an adjusted version of Shapero & Sokol’s Entrepreneurial Event Model, as well as an extended EI model developed by Krueger. Using a sample of 402 university students and applying structural equation modeling, the results identified attitudes toward entrepreneurship, perceived desirability and feasibility, and perceived self and collective efficacy as key drivers of EI, while capturing the turbulent investigation period through its impact on exogenous determinants, mainly the university environment.