Entrepreneurial intentions’ temporal stability – intraindividual and group-level analyses

Abstract

Purpose Entrepreneurial intention (EI) has been studied prolifically, as a precursor to entrepreneurial action, and a desired outcome of entrepreneurship education. Yet, the paucity of extant studies that analyze its temporal stability has been noted. This paper aims to address this gap by studying the temporal stability of EI, investigating its persistence as an attitudinal state over time. Design/methodology/approach A series of intraindividual and group-level longitudinal analyses were undertaken, over an 11-year period, using a student sample from Portugal. The authors highlight the magnitude of EI change over time, where item-structure, relative and absolute stability and group and individual-level EI changes are all considered. Findings Results indicate an initially strong to moderate EI item-structure stability and relative stability over the first five years, with moderate signs of deterioration. This deterioration becomes even more pronounced across the full 11-year period. Regarding EI absolute stability, while college students (as a group) did not display a general tendency to develop higher or lower EI during the first five years, a small deterioration was found over the 11-year period. At the individual level, EI instability was detected, and this increased with time. Finally, the exploratory results suggest that entrepreneurship education may buffer the deterioration of EI. Practical implications The findings provide a more nuanced reasoning for dampened EI–entrepreneurial behavior associations and highlight key determinants of EI change, which can inform educational experts and policymakers. Originality/value The legitimacy of the EI field lays heavily on the existence of a stable EI construct and a strong relationship between intentions and behavior. The methodology provides a new and more complete picture of EI’s temporal stability.