Epistemic Curiosity and Entrepreneurial Intentions: Insights from China's Emerging Ecosystem

Abstract

Guided by Entrepreneurial Event Theory (EET), we analysed survey data from 179 engineering students at Xi’an Jiaotong‑Liverpool University’s Entrepreneur College (Taicang) to identify what drives entrepreneurial intention (EI). Interest in entrepreneurship and epistemic curiosity (EC) emerged as the strongest predictors, with EC partially mediating the pathway from both entrepreneurial interest and perceived organisational valuing of creativity (POVC) to EI. Counter-intuitively, higher family income predicted lower EI, challenging resource-based assumptions. The model explains 42.2% of the variance in EI, consistent with prior research. Findings suggest that entrepreneurship programmes should prioritise curiosity-driven, creativity-supportive learning environments and tailor support to students' socioeconomic backgrounds. By positioning EC as a cognitive catalyst and highlighting the nuanced role of income, the study extends EET and clarifies how demographic, attitudinal, and contextual factors interact within China’s pro-innovation landscape.