The determinants of attitudes towards entrepreneurial risks in the Moroccan context: A PLS structural equation modeling

In a globally unstable economic context, exacerbated by the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international job market and further intensified by the military conflict in Ukraine, the unemployment rate among young graduates has reached alarming levels. This research aims to study empirically the attitude towards risk in entrepreneurship in the Moroccan context. Using structural equation modeling under the PLS approach, we propose a theoretical model including five exogenous variables (constraints, education, social environment, experiences, and motivations) explaining the attitude towards risk. The study was conducted among Moroccan PhD students at Cadi Ayyad University of Marrakech. Data collection was conducted by questionnaire with a sample of 153 PhD students. The results showed that the constraints and education of the PhD students do not impact their attitudes towards entrepreneurial risk, whereas this attitude is positively affected by students’ social environment, experiences, and motivations. Gender gap in attitude towards risk had been found in the impact of education on this attitude. The findings contribute to enrich the literature on entrepreneurial risks in the educational context.