Predictors of Green Entrepreneurship Intentions Among Business Students: Evidence From Croatia

Abstract

In the context of global efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility, it is important to examine how young people, particularly students, perceive green business initiatives and what motivates or discourages them from starting their own green businesses. This paper identifies the key factors influencing green entrepreneurship intentions and examines the role of university support in fostering green entrepreneurship among students in economics faculties in the Republic of Croatia. An online questionnaire was the primary instrument for data collection. The questions were designed to capture self-efficacy, psychological, social, and educational factors, as well as university support factors that may be significant for green entrepreneurial intentions. The data were analysed using correlation and regression methods. The results show that students in Croatia have low intentions to engage in green entrepreneurship. Although some interest and willingness to participate in green ventures exist, most respondents report limited motivation due to a lack of practical experience, limited knowledge of green entrepreneurship, and insufficient social and educational support. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the strongest predictors of intention to engage in green entrepreneurship are self-efficacy and social factors related to subjective norms, followed by psychological factors related to attitudes towards the behavior, as described in Ajzen’s Theory of the Planned Behaviour. The results suggest that Croatia's education system, along with social support, needs improvement to encourage entrepreneurship and increase student interest in the green sector. Targeted initiatives, practical learning opportunities, and awareness raising campaigns can be particularly effective in encouraging the next generation of green entrepreneurs. Additionally, the research shows that university support is a statistically significant predictor of these intentions. Furthermore, university support plays a vital role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, serving as a catalyst for education, as research suggests. Although the importance of university support was recognized, students considered it limited and insufficient, particularly regarding specialized study programs and practical experience in the green sector.