Entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and entrepreneurial intention in higher education: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

This study aims to empirically examine the influence of students' perceptions of entrepreneurial ecosystem factors on their entrepreneurial intentions directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial self-efficacy and to investigate the moderating role of students' gender. The data used to test the hypotheses were obtained through online questionnaire sent to undergraduate business students enrolled at a public university in Saudi Arabia. The hypothesized relationships are tested with data collected from 259 respondents by using the partial least squares structural equation modelling technique (PLS-SEM). The results show that students' perceptions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem affect entrepreneurial intentions both directly and indirectly through entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The findings of multigroup analysis confirmed the significant differences between male and female students in the influence of entrepreneurial self-efficacy on students' entrepreneurial intention. The findings provide empirical evidence to policymakers in Saudi Arabia. They should focus on building an entrepreneurial ecosystem with adequate institutional infrastructure, support structures, and culture that supports and enhances students' self-efficacy and intention to become entrepreneurs. Moreover, the moderating effect of gender on self-efficacy and intention relationship suggests that policymakers should pay special attention to gender differences while they are developing their strategies and programs as tools that work with male students may not be suitable for females.