How empathy and social entrepreneurial self-efficacy interact to affect social entrepreneurial intention: A polynomial regression with response surface analysis

Abstract

Research background: Previous studies have argued that empathy (EMP) is an important factor that enhances individuals’ intention to engage in social business. However, the effect of this factor on social entrepreneurial intention (SEI) is unclear (Ukil et al., 2023). Also, although numerous studies have explored the individual impacts of EMP and social entrepreneurial self-efficacy (SES) on SEI, there is a notable scarcity of research that delves into the combined influence of these two predictor variables on the intention to engage in social business. Purpose of the article: This study proposes that EMP does not only individually affect, but also interacts with other factors to influence the intention to start a social business. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how EMP and SES interact to promote SEI. Methods: Based on a survey dataset of 409 respondents in Vietnam, this study employed polynomial regression with response surface analysis to examine the complementary, balance, and imbalance effects of EMP and SES on SEI. Findings & value added: This study's results suggest complementary effects between EMP and SES on SEI. Specifically, this study finds that when EMP and SES are balanced at higher levels, SEI is higher, and when their imbalance increases in either direction, SEI is lower. In addition, this study finds that the degree of SEI is higher when individuals have high SES with low EMP compared to the other way round. The findings of this study enhance our understanding of the complexity of motivation and how it affects SEIs, revealing the complex interaction between EMP and SES in shaping these intentions within a multidimensional motivational framework.