Socio-economic Factors as Predictors of Undergraduate Students’ Attitude towards Entrepreneurship in Botswana

Attitudes and values related to entrepreneurship imbibed by graduates may serve as impediments to future economic growth and development of entrepreneurship. Factors behind the nonchalant attitude towards entrepreneurship by the potential entrepreneur youth need to be identified and their influence remedied. This descriptive and co-relational study analyzed the socio-economic factors determining attitude towards entrepreneurship among graduates in Botswana. A valid and reliable questionnaire was used for data collection through a survey of 149 (n=149) randomly sampled graduates in Botswana. Data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistical tools of mean, frequency, independent t-test, one way analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Descriptive statistics indicated that the students would like to pursue their future career as entrepreneurs but opposite to the student career ambition, the parents want their children to become future professionals. Findings revealed that eight socio-economic factors namely; gender, program of study, year of study, mothers’ education level, mothers’ profession, family income level and students career ambition after completion of degree program and parents career ambition after completion of degree program have significant influence on the students’ attitude towards entrepreneurship. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the socio-economic factors are significant predictors of students’ attitude towards entrepreneurship. Furthermore, mothers’ education level was the top significant socio-economic factor predicting the students’ attitude followed by students’ career ambition after completion of the program, the year of study and the program of study. Further research can be conducted to investigate the reasons for gender difference in students’ attitude towards entrepreneurship and, reasons for contradicting career ambitions of the students and their parents.