The Effects of Autonomous and Controlled Motivation on Entrepreneurship Intention: Focusing on the Comparison between University Students and Seniors

Purpose: This study is to analyze the differences in which factors have a greater influence on the entrepreneurial intentions of university students with many opportunities-type startups and seniors with many livelihood startups. For this purpose, the relationship between the autonomous and controlled motivations to start a business has been explored through attitude toward start-up, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. in this process, the moderating effect of age and entrepreneurship education was investigated. Research design, data, and methodology: Online and offline survey were conducted on students attending universities and on seniors in their forties and fifties in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. 233 university students' responses and 231 seniors' responses were used for this study. Results: The results of this study are summarized as follows. First, university students’ and seniors’ autonomous motivation had a significant positive influence on attitude toward entrepreneurship, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Second, controlled motivation had a significant positive influence on perceived behavioral control for university students. And for seniors, controlled motivation influencesattitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Third, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control had a significant positive influence on entrepreneurial intentions for both university students and seniors. Implications: The implications of this research can contribute to the planning and operation of entrepreneurship support programs for university students and seniors that can increase new start-up creation, survival and success by diagnosing autonomous and controlled motivations for entrepreneurship. In addition, this study can contribute to establishing more effective entrepreneurship education policies that can increase entrepreneurial intention.