Examining university support, entrepreneurial passion, and self-efficacy as drivers of entrepreneurial intention among university students: an application of stimulus-organism-response approach

The increasing focus on entrepreneurship as a way to boost economic growth and lower unemployment has prompted interest in learning more concerning the elements affecting students’ entrepreneurial intention (EI). However, in developing countries like India, there is still a gap between students’ entrepreneurial intention and institutional assistance. Thus the current study seeks to examine the influence of University support (US) on entrepreneurial intention (EI) among university students in India, with entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and entrepreneurial passion (EP) serving as mediating variables by applying stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) paradigm. The data were gathered through structured online questionnaire from 452 students at five different universities in Jammu and Kashmir using convenience sampling technique. Direct and indirect effects were examined using Smart-PLS. The current study makes a substantial contribution to the literature by analysing the indirect role of ESE and EP in US- EI relationship, and it is among the first to employ the S-O-R paradigm in the field of the US and EI link. The findings demonstrated that the US, ESE, and EP had a substantial and favourable influence on EI, both directly and indirectly through EP and ESE. This study offers useful insights for academic institutions and lawmakers to create more efficient support systems that encourage students to pursue entrepreneurship by fostering their passion and confidence in addition to their skill set.