Social Entrepreneurial Intention among Youth in Vietnam: The Roles of Prior Experience and Perceived Educational Support

Abstract

This study addresses factors that influence the social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) of university students in Vietnam. Specifically, it extends previous research by investigating the effect of perceived educational support on SEI through its indirect effect on empathy, moral obligation, perceived social support and social self-efficacy. Based on a questionnaire completed by 994 university students in three Vietnamese cities, we used a structural equation model to test our hypotheses. Our findings show that the variables with the most significant effect in shaping SEI among Vietnamese youth are prior experience and perceived educational support. No statistically significant effect was found for empathy. Moreover, the study also shows that moral obligation, perceived social support and social self-efficacy play mediating roles in the relationship between prior experience, perceived educational support and SEI. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in this area by demonstrating the importance of prior experience and educational support in promoting social entrepreneurship among young people in Vietnam.

Keywords:

• Social entrepreneurial intention
• prior experience
• educational support
• youth
• Vietnam

Acknowledgements

This research is funded by Thuongmai University, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figure 1. Conceptual framework. Source: Own work

Figure 2. The model tested in our study. Source: Own elaboration