Entrepreneurial intentions of students in Poland in the view of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study is to empirically verify Ajzen’s theory in the Polish academic environment, however, the TPB was extended by one more variable – attitude towards risk. Research Design & Methods: We decided to use a survey questionnaire among students. The survey was conducted among seven universities in Krakow. Out of 1,100 sent questionnaires, we received 719 fully completed and corrected questionnaires, it means that the return rate is 65.4%. The questionnaire was divided into 14 thematic blocks – their elements explain the entrepreneurial intentions. Findings: The statistical calculations confirmed that three Ajzen’s independent variables, such as attitude towards entrepreneurship, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control determine the entrepreneurial intentions of the investigated students. Additionally, we found out that the risk attitude is also a determinant in a similar way, and entrepreneurial intentions differ between business and non-business students. Implications & Recommendations: Shaping the entrepreneurial mindset of young people is one of the most important roles of the contemporary education system, including the tertiary education. Future studies should seek new factors influencing the entrepreneurial intentions of students, facts that will be complementary to TPB and EEM models. Contribution & Value Added: The study extended Ajzen’s TPB of risk propensity as a separate variable describing the attitude towards entrepreneurship.