Antecedents of sustainability‐oriented entrepreneurial intentions: A comprehensive model and empirical evidence

Abstract The study contributes to the advancement of the theory and practice of sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) by enabling a deeper understanding of the emerging construct, sustainability‐oriented entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) which is a precursor of SE. A unique, comprehensive model depicting the role of the individual‐level antecedents of SEI is developed from an exhaustive literature review, and it is then validated using survey responses from youth in India. Of the seven constructs identified from the literature, four constructs, namely Altruism, Environmental Values, Intrinsic Rewards, and Attitude Towards Sustainability (one of the Theory of Planned Behavior constructs [TPB]), were found to have the strongest relationship with SEI, while others (Extrinsic Rewards, General Self‐Efficacy, Job Security, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs Perceived Entrepreneurial Desirability, and Perceived Entrepreneurial Feasibility) were reported as statistically significant. Partial Mediating effects of TPB constructs were also reported. This research provides empirical evidence on the individual‐level antecedents of SEI, hence contributing to the sparse body of literature available on the emerging construct, SEI. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and educators to design effective approaches to foster SEI and expand the adoption of SE among young individuals. The originality of this study lies in the fact that, to date, no comprehensive research has been conducted on any demographic group in India to examine the individual‐level factors that influence SEI.