Physical activity level as a booster of entrepreneurial intention: a social innovation approach

Abstract

This study aims to investigate if engaging in physical activity (PA) and gender influences people’s entrepreneurial intention (EI). A survey for measuring EI and PA was developed and administered to the general population. The data were collected with a questionnaire distributed across all continental Portuguese regions. A two-way analysis of variance was used to test the influence of PA level and gender in EI. The results highlight that PA and gender have an impact on EI. This study’s main practical implication is that evidence was found that people need to be involved in more PA, especially in high PA level, because the results show that there is an association with increased levels of EI. This paper contributes to filling a gap in the literature by identifying the importance of PA for the increase of EI. This relationship may be a consequence of skills promoted by the practice of PA and also the development of some personal psychological and cognitive characteristics such as autonomy, risk tolerance, and leadership. The main implication resulting from this study is that it is essential to develop and booster PA into society, namely through PA programmes in organisations, not only for improving persons’ health condition but also as a social benefit, that can promote social innovation and entrepreneurship.