Familial Influence on Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Study of Selected UPLB Students

Purpose - This study aimed to investigate the impact of family’s involvement in entrepreneurship on the entrepreneurial intentions of selected students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). It focused on understanding whether the presence of family members engaged in their own business ventures significantly influenced the students’ inclination towards entrepreneurial activities. Design/Methodology/Approach - The study employed a descriptive approach to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the 781 student respondents. A six-point Likert scale was used to measure the degree of entrepreneurial intentions of the students and binary logic regression was used to identify the key determinants and assess their influence on the student’s likelihood of pursuing entrepreneurship. Findings - It was observed that having at least one family member involved in entrepreneurship positively correlates with heightened entrepreneurial intentions among UPLB students. Other factors such as college affiliation and entrepreneurial education also influenced the students’ entrepreneurial intentions. Interestingly, students in technical and science courses have a higher affinity to engage in entrepreneurial activities as compared to those in the business and management courses. Research Implications - The findings from the study underscore the importance of incorporating entrepreneurial education and support systems to colleges. The study recommends pushing for government initiatives and school policy considerations towards mandatory entrepreneurship courses as it is crucial in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset among young individuals which is important in nation-building.