Analysis of Entrepreneurial Intentions among Students of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria

Abstract

The study analysed students’ entrepreneurial intentions based on the theory of planned behaviour. A multistage sampling procedure was deployed to select 3600 students across selected universities in Nigeria, and a well-structured questionnaire was administered to the respondents to retrieve the relevant data to achieve the objectives of the study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics as well as a Conjoint Analysis Technique to analyse the multi-level factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The study found that more females (27.5%) than males (13.1%) have entrepreneurial intentions. 85% of the 1372 respondents, who have entrepreneurship intentions, have no specialized skills for self-employment. A significant proportion of the respondents wanted training in Fashion/laundry (29%) and agribusiness techniques (26%). According to findings, students rated certificate prestige, social status, personal interest, and expected income, in the descending order of importance, as factors influencing their entrepreneurial intentions. On the basis of these findings, recommendations were made.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial intentions, theory of planned behaviour, conjoint analysis, certificate prestige, social status, personal interest

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-1-01

Publication date: January 31^st 2022