Environmental awareness and the entrepreneurial intention in university students: Direct and mediating effects

This study contributes to the literature about the application of responsible entrepreneurship by entrepreneurs and to their contribution to an economic and responsible growth. Quantitative research was carried out with data collection based on a questionnaire to 1337 students from Oviedo University (North of Spain) and factorial analysis and statistical regression techniques were applied to analyse the data. The results revealed that environmental awareness exerts a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial intention of the students and how important it is to adopt measures to avoid waste, dumping and emissions. It has also been validated that the perception of the importance of ecological consumption intervenes in the relationship between environmental awareness and entrepreneurial initiative. Finally, it can be stated that the fact of having entrepreneurial family members reinforces the entrepreneurial intention of the students.