Fostering social entrepreneurship in university students: the moderating role of entrepreneurial creativity

Since the introduction of the Sustainable Development Goals, social entrepreneurship has received increasing attention from governments and universities. This study evaluated antecedents of social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI), including perceived social awareness among peers, social responsibility, perceived social support, outcome expectations of social entrepreneurship and digital literacy. The role of entrepreneurial creativity in moderating these relationships was also explored. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to gather data from undergraduate and postgraduate students in Taiwan. The responses of 303 participants were analysed. Results indicated that perceived social awareness among peers, perceived social support, and digital literacy positively influenced SEI. Entrepreneurial creativity was revealed to positively moderate the relationships between outcome expectations of social entrepreneurship and SEI, between social responsibility and SEI, between perceived social support and SEI, and between digital literacy and SEI. These results are useful for policymakers and universities helping students become social entrepreneurs.