An Investigation Into the Obstacles to Youth Entrepreneurship in South Africa

Youth entrepreneurial intention is very low in South Africa. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the obstacles to youth entrepreneurial intention. Two sets of questionnaires were self-administered to high school students and university students. The respondents were selected using simple random sampling method. Five-point Likert scale was used to measure the responses. Data analysis includes descriptive statistics, the principal component analysis and T-test. The results indicate that youths perceive lack of capital, lack of skill, lack of support, lack of market opportunities and risk as the main obstacles to entrepreneurial intention. Recommendations to reduce the obstacles to youth entrepreneurship are suggested.