Social contexts and academic environments are key elements in the debate about drivers of entrepreneurial intention and behavior in tertiary students. Nonetheless, the underlying dynamics of student entrepreneurship remain elusive. This study aims to contribute to this discussion by creating an original model that addresses the perception of entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs regarding the relationship between social norms, the university environment of support to entrepreneurship and the perceived satisfaction about universities’ conditions to nurture entrepreneurial orientation.
To investigate the hypotheses, a quantitative approach has been chosen through multivariate data analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling applied to a sample of 595 students from 66 Brazilian universities.
The results indicate that social norms affect how students perceive their university environment in terms of entrepreneurial support. In turn, students’ impressions about such environment shape their levels of satisfaction. However, in contrast with the theory of intention–action gap, differences between actual and potential entrepreneurs could not be identified.
The originality of the research lies in filling an entrepreneurial intention–action gap among undergraduate students, with consistent results in a developing country. Additionally, the research presents new insights for researchers, policymakers and practitioners, exploring the students’ perceived satisfaction in relation to the university environment to support entrepreneurship.
