Examining Factors Impacting Entrepreneurial Intention in the United Kingdom and Iran: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Passion

Research on the factors affecting entrepreneurial intention has recently attracted surging attention. However, there are limited studies focusing on indirect factors impacting entrepreneurial intention and comparing the findings across a developed and a developing country. Therefore, in this research, based on the theories of planned behaviour and entrepreneurial passion, we discuss the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion in the relationship between personal attitude and entrepreneurial intention as well as in the relationship between subjective norm and entrepreneurial intention. Quantitative data were collected from 122 and 260 undergraduate students in England and Iran, respectively, and were analysed by structural equation modelling in AMOS. The findings show that, contrary to the predictions of the mentioned theories, entrepreneurial passion also has a direct and positive effect on entrepreneurial intention. Also, entrepreneurial passion partially mediates the relationship between personal attitude and entrepreneurial intention in both countries. However, passion fully mediates the relationship between subjective norms and entrepreneurial intention in Iran, and partially in England. Our findings thus illustrate that to strengthen entrepreneurial intention, policymakers should develop policies to enhance entrepreneurial personal attitudes, and subjective norms to encourage entrepreneurial passion and consequently entrepreneurial intention.