COVID-19 and Its Effects on Attitudes toward Opportunity-Motivated Entrepreneurship: Before and after Lockdown

Abstract

COVID-19 lockdown measures have largely been effective in curtailing the spread of the disease. Yet, its other effects have been profound and pervasive, exposing gender inequalities, reducing psychological sustainability, and causing economic hardship. Entrepreneurship, with its potential for effecting social good and sustainable economic development, has too been changed with studies finding a drop in entrepreneurship during the crisis. Yet, it is unknown how entrepreneurship may change after COVID-19 and lockdown measures are eased. We study changes in attitudes toward entrepreneurship by testing two samples of Singaporean undergraduates before the implementation (N = 242) and after the easing (N = 280) of lockdown measures. In doing so, we contribute to research about attitudes toward entrepreneurship, often side-lined in Theory of Planned Behaviour entrepreneurship studies which tend to focus instead on entrepreneurship intentions. Our findings indicate that opportunity-motivated, or pull, entrepreneurship may have become more positive after lockdown measures are eased. Next, women hold stronger beliefs in entrepreneurship’s capacity to fulfil agentic-type goals (e.g., power, achievement). For both genders, the extent to which entrepreneurship can achieve prosocial, communal-type goals is a key post-lockdown determinant of positive attitudes to entrepreneurship. Our findings provide clues into what to expect regarding post-lockdown entrepreneurship, and bears practical implications for entrepreneurship educators and policymakers.