Religiosity and Entrepreneurial Intention among University Students: The Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy

Oseni Salami; Emily Ufulul Daboer; Ikongha Isong Owor; Kater Moses Wuakera; Afees Aremu Balogun; Faith Omon Ben-Anuge

doi:10.58709/niujms.v12i3.2631

Oseni Salami National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Emily Ufulul Daboer National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Ikongha Isong Owor National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Kater Moses Wuakera National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Afees Aremu Balogun National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Faith Omon Ben-Anuge National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58709/niujms.v12i3.2631

Abstract

University students in Nigeria have strong religious values but struggle to act on them because cognitive self-appraisals have not been examined; this may explain their inability to translate values into entrepreneurial action (McIntyre et al., 2023; Adeoye & Olubiyi, 2024). This study examined the relationship between multidimensional religiosity and entrepreneurial intention, and the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE), among university students. The study obtained 156 valid responses from 353 University students in Northern Nigeria through a quantitative, cross-sectional survey using structured questionnaires. Data analysis comprised descriptive statistics, multiple regression and mediation analysis, which were performed through the PROCESS Macro Model 4 in SPSS with bootstrapping. The results showed that religious commitment had a significant and positive impact on entrepreneurial intention (β = 0.31, p < 0.001), intrinsic religiosity had a significant and positive impact on entrepreneurial intention (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), and extrinsic religiosity had a significant and negative impact on entrepreneurial intention (β = –0.19, p < 0.01). Overall, the dimensions of religiosity accounted for 52% of the variance in entrepreneurial intention (R² = 0.52, F = 54.82, p < 0.001). Mediation analysis proved that entrepreneurial self-efficacy has a significant mediating effect in these relationships, accounting for an additional 14% of the variance (ΔR² = 0.14, p < 0.001); the indirect effect of religious commitment on entrepreneurial intention through the entrepreneurial self-efficacy pathway was the strongest (indirect effect = 0.13, 95% CI [0.07, 0.21]). The findings show that value-aligned and efficacy-building approaches play vital roles in converting religious values into entrepreneurial intention among religious students in Nigeria (Soria-Barreto et al., 2025; Ye et al., 2025).

Keywords: Entrepreneurial Intention, Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy, Extrinsic Religiosity, Intrinsic Religiosity, Religious Commitment.