Perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intention among unemployed youth in the Eastern Cape: the mediating role of subjective norms

Résumé

This study examines the mediating role of subjective norms in the relationship between perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intention among unemployed youth in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, an area marked by persistent unemployment and socioeconomic constraints.Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study employed a quantitative research approach using a cross-sectional survey and purposive sampling to collect data from 248 participants.Structural equation modelling was applied to test the proposed relationships among constructs.The findings indicate that perceived behavioural control has a positive, statistically significant direct effect on subjective norms (β = 0.748; p = 0.001).Subjective norms, in turn, positively and significantly influence entrepreneurial intention (β = 0.449; p = 0.002).Additionally, perceived behavioural control has a significant direct effect on entrepreneurial intention (β = 0.546; p = 0.002).Mediation analysis further demonstrates that subjective norms partially mediate the relationship between perceived behavioural control and entrepreneurial intention, reflecting a complementary indirect effect (β = 0.374; SE = 0.116; 95% CI [0.182, 0.640]; p = 0.001).These results highlight the combined importance of individual control beliefs and social influence in shaping entrepreneurial intention.The study offers practical implications for educators, policymakers, and community programmes by emphasising interventions that strengthen youth agency (skills, self-efficacy, access to resources) and cultivate supportive social norms that legitimise entrepreneurship as a viable pathway to livelihoods and inclusive development.

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