The Effect of Social Support and Entrepreneurial Attitude Orientation on Entrepreneurial Intention Mediated By Psychological Capital in the Students of Syiah Kuala University

1. Introduction

One of the main economic strengths of a country is entrepreneurship. It is not just creating jobs but serves to increase innovation, productivity, and competitiveness of a nation. In Indonesia, entrepreneurship development is a national flagship program by the government. Various initiatives, such as the National 1000 Digital Startup Movement, Pre-Employment Card Program, and Independent Campus Program, were launched in order to promote entrepreneurial competencies, especially for young people. But the 2023 Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI) reveals that Indonesia is still stuck at position 74 out of 137 countries. This shows that, while progress has been made in raising awareness of entrepreneurship and making it more attractive to investment through various means, there is still work to be done. However, the level of entrepreneurship in Indonesia is still low compared to higher-income countries. Referring to data (Kemenkop UKM, 2023), Indonesia has only reached around 3.5% per capita entrepreneurs. This number still trails Singapore and Malaysia, which have exceeded 5%. This low level of entrepreneurship is affected by many variables, but mainly the limited access to capital, lack of business literacy, and individual risk aversion. Thus, enhancing entrepreneurial intentions is important, as it considerably among students a potential generation that has the ability to create innovations and new business fields in the future.

At the regional level, Aceh Province has been growing a lot in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). In 2023–2024, MSMEs in Aceh had around 424,850 units, dominated by micro-enterprises (423,178), then small-enterprises (1,470), and medium-sized enterprises (202) (Diskop UKM Aceh, 2025). This reflects the strategic role of the MSME sector as a labor absorption and a contributor to the GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product). As the capital and an economic center in Aceh, Banda Aceh is also the largest area with MSME growth. In 2023, the number of MSMEs was recorded at 17,425 units and increased significantly to 20,421 units in 2024 (BPS, 2025). It was about a 12% growth in that period, which indicates rather positive local economic dynamics. This means that the development of entrepreneurial opportunities in this area has a very wide space, so it must be supported by the increasing interest and readiness of individuals to enter the business world.

Higher education, as an educational institution, has a strategic role in building entrepreneurial character and competency. Yet, interest among students to start a business is still low. More than 83% of the students working on in-house solutions as entrepreneurs were ambivalent about becoming an entrepreneur after graduating from university, while only around 4% wanted to be on their own, according to a survey by the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) in 2019. The phenomenon is proof of the gap between potential and interest, but not the interest that can be realized at a high enough level, even though their mental strength is already formed, unfortunately, they do not have strong support from the environment on campus and family. Syiah Kuala University (USK) is one of the best universities in Aceh, which has made a real contribution to fostering entrepreneurship among students. This is also evident in a number of various usages, both interlaced into initiatives of coverage and applied sciences. USK has conducted the Student Entrepreneurship Program (PMW) since 2017, which then changed to the Community Product Innovation Program (PIPM). This not only offers students funding but also coaching, training, and business networks.

Since 2021, 393 students have been enrolled in business groups funded through the PIPM program, with capital ranging from IDR 3 million to IDR 7 million per group. Along with financial support,, students also receive intensive mentorship that helps them create innovative products and gain market insights while grooming their managerial & team skills. The USK-supported entrepreneurship ecosystem is strengthened by a number of successes, most notably through the achievement of one of its teams winning the Indonesian Student Entrepreneurship (KMI) Expo 2024. USK's role in the Independent Entrepreneurship Program (WMK) in 2023 and 2024 will also further strengthen the efforts for student entrepreneurship development. The program gives hands-on business experience through the guidance of professionals, a business incubator, and even counts asSemester Credit Units (SKS). With an intake of no more than 225 students, it is designed as a core tool for developing an entrepreneurial culture on campus. Today, USK has several other programs to support them, but the fact is that many of them still have not embraced entrepreneurship as their primary career development. Our own data and our experiences suggest that applicants often treat their entrepreneurship over the past few years as just another hobby or simply part of their curriculum. This indicates unsatisfactory internal factors, like a lack of risk-taking abilities and an uncertain perception of business opportunities, alongside inadequate psychological capital (psycap) in the form of self‐confidence level, optimism levels, and mental toughness.

A survey of 30 university students showed that their entrepreneurial intentions were in the good category, with an average score of 3.79. However, there were indicators with relatively low scores, namely the ability to think of business ideas or opportunities, with an average score of 3.40. These findings indicate that while intentions are generally quite good, the ability to explore ideas and creativity in identifying opportunities still needs improvement. Pyscap is a crucial factor influencing entrepreneurial intentions. According to (Luthans et al., 2015), pyscap encompasses optimism, self-efficacy, hope, and resilience, all of which contribute to strengthening an individual's belief in achieving success. The pre-survey results indicated that students' pyscap was in the good category, with an average score of 3.69. However, there were still weaknesses in their ability to find alternative solutions when facing obstacles (3.30). Furthermore, social support from family, friends, and the community also played a significant role in increasing self-confidence and readiness to face risks. (Zhang et al., 2025) emphasized that social support can strengthen an individual's belief in facing the uncertainties of entrepreneurship. However, the pre-survey results indicated that informational support still needs improvement, although it was generally in the good category (3.76).

On the other hand, entrepreneurial attitude orientation, which includes innovation, proactivity, risk-taking, autonomy, and competitiveness, has also been shown to influence entrepreneurial intention. The pre-survey results revealed a mean of 3.74 across respondents, but most importantly, the risk-taking indicator was also low (3.30) and evidence for continued hesitance in confronting business uncertainty. Older studies found only the direct effect of these variables on entrepreneurial intention without taking into account the role of mediating variables. Studies by (Mahfud et al., 2020), the study of pyscap as an intermediate variable has not been optimized. In addition, in Indonesia, research is still dominated by urban contexts; therefore, studies in regions such as Aceh are limited. Due to that, this research aims to fill this gap by analyzing the mediating role of pyscap on the effect of social support as well as entrepreneurial attitude orientation toward USK students' entrepreneurial intention.

2. Literature

2.1. Entrepreneurial Intention

Entrepreneurial intention is conceptualized as a planned course of action to determine the behavior of an individual based on their desire, preparation, and planning for opening up a business (Yuan et al., 2024). This idea does not simply define a desire or an inactivity but is a kind of commitment, based on self-confidence and action. (Liñeiro et al., 2024), who underscored the fact that entrepreneurial intention is related to a motivational condition that motivates individuals to expend effort in establishing a new business, historically integrated into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework, whereby intention is seen as the first-determined predictor of behavior. Furthermore, according to (Wang et al., 2023), entrepreneurial intention is when informed preferences, business planning and propensity to act on enterprise appear as career preferences. Furthermore, according to (Mahfud et al., 2020), entrepreneurial intention is built through the interplay of internal and external factors where entrepreneurship orientation and social support can ignite inner characteristics with pyscap acting as a reinforcing mechanism. Encompassingly, the tendency to start a business can be identified in terms of ‘entrepreneurial intention’, which is described as a psychological state concerning an individual’s readiness and effort for entrepreneurship. The intention is affected by the factors inside the individual (beliefs and attitudes) and outside the individual (social support, learning experiences).

2.2. Psychological Capital (Psycap)

Pyscap is a positive psychological state that comprises four core components: self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience (Luthans & Youssef-Morgan, 2017). These four elements operate internally and can enhance self-confidence, mental resilience, and an individual´s capacity to respond. (Wang et al., 2023) also mentioned that pyscap is a nonmaterial form of capital, which indicates a person's beliefs and hopes regarding uncertainty, especially for entrepreneurships. The people with high pyscap are stronger in facing challenges, and this helps them to develop business readiness. (Yuan et al., 2024) further illustrated the reason pyscap is seen as a cognitive and affective base that positively influences entrepreneurial attitudes and intentions. Meanwhile, (Mahfud et al., 2020) describe pyscap as a mediator of the impact of external factors like social support on entrepreneurial intention. Therefore, pyscap may be seen as the mental strength of individuals in entrusting themselves to remain hopeful, confident, and resilient in adversity through uncertainty and risks that entrepreneurs encounter.

2.3 Social Support

Social Support is defined as the degree to which one perceives that assistance has been provided by one's social environment in terms of emotional, informational, and instrumental support (Hassan et al., 2023). Support from family, friends, mentors, or institutions helps develop motivation, security, and a sense of confidence in oneself. According to (Luc, 2025), social support comes from an interpersonal network that enhances the chances of an individual achieving her/his goals, and this phenomenon is also found in entrepreneurship. The basic argument, for example, made by (Zhao et al., 2020) is that social support is a vital resource and one of the aid resources in stressful conditions and increased optimism. According to (Mahfud et al., 2020), social support is a part of the social capital that strengthens pyscap, which in turn influences entrepreneurial intentions indirectly. So, social support is an external element that provides emotional and practical assistance in the moment of direction toward making somebody più a businessman.

2.4. Entrepreneurial Attitude Orientation

Entrepreneurial orientation refers to an individual's tendency to be proactive, innovative, and willing to take risks when facing business opportunities (Romero-Colmenares & Reyes-Rodríguez, 2022). This attitude reflects a positive view of entrepreneurship and a readiness to act in creating new ventures. (Mahfud et al., 2020) explain that entrepreneurial orientation encompasses the ability to recognize opportunities, creativity, and courage in the face of uncertainty, all of which contribute to the formation of entrepreneurial intentions. (Tran & Korflesch, 2016) added that entrepreneurial orientation is a cognitive and affective predisposition formed through education, experience, and a supportive environment. Meanwhile, (Liñán & Alain, 2015) emphasized that within the TPB framework, entrepreneurial attitude is a key factor influencing an individual's intention to become an entrepreneur.

3. Method

The population was all 2,8863 undergraduate students at Syiah Kuala University. The sample consisted of 180 students. The sample was determined according to the requirements for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), which uses the formula 10 times indicators in the research model, where in this study there were 18 indicators (Ferdinand, 2014) so that if multiplied, the total number of respondents was 180. The respondent determination was carried out using the proportional purposive sampling technique, where the sample was selected intentionally based on certain criteria that were in accordance with the research objectives, but still considering the proportion of the population in each group. This technique was used so that each part of the population with different characteristics could be represented proportionally, so that the research results were more valid and representative. With this technique, samples were selected based on the 12 existing faculties. The data analysis used was Partial Least Square (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS.

4. Result and Discussion

4.1. Hypothesis Testing

The testing of the research hypothesis is as in Table 1 below.

Source: Processed Primary Data, (2026)

4.1.1.Direct Influence Hypothesis Testing

The test results show that from the path coefficient test, all relationships between variables in this study are proven to have a positive significant influence, as indicated by p <0.05. This indicates that all hypotheses can be directly accepted. Social support is proven to have a significant effect on pyscap, means the better the support an individual receives from their surrounding environment, the stronger the positive psychological condition they have. In addition, entrepreneurial attitude orientation also shows a greater positive influence on pyscap, which indicates that proactive, innovative, and risk-taking attitudes can strengthen an individual's self-confidence and mental resilience. Furthermore, pyscap has been shown to significantly influence entrepreneurial intentions, indicating that individuals with strong psychological well-being tend to have a greater desire to start a business. Furthermore, direct social support also increases entrepreneurial intentions, making a supportive environment a crucial factor in encouraging individuals to become entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial orientation also affects entrepreneurial intentions, confirming that the better a person's entrepreneurial attitude, the higher their likelihood of choosing entrepreneurship as a career choice.

4.1.2.Mediation Hypothesis Testing

Testing of the mediation hypothesis as in Table 1 below.

Source: Processed Primary Data, (2026)

Based on the bootstrapping test, pyscap is proven to play a significant role as a mediating variable in the social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation impact on entrepreneurial intention, as shown by p <0.05 in both indirect paths. Social support influences entrepreneurial intention through increasing pyscap, as well as entrepreneurial attitude orientation which is able to strengthen pyscap and ultimately increase entrepreneurial intention. However, because both independent variables also have a significant direct effect on entrepreneurial intention, the role of pyscap in this model is categorized as partial mediation, which indicates that the influence on entrepreneurial intention occurs both directly and through improving the individual's psychological condition.

4.2. Discussion

The results indicate that significantly social support affects pyscap positively. Support from family, friends, and the academic environment can strengthen psychological aspects such as optimism, hope, resilience, and self-confidence. Good social support has been associated with greater stress coping abilities and a more optimistic approach towards the future. This finding is consistent with the study of (Hassan et al., 2023) and (Mahfud et al., 2020), which stated how good social connections can boost self-confidence and resilience in an individual, which is a vital part of pyscap for an entrepreneur, especially when facing adversity. In addition to that, pyscap is positively affected by entrepreneurial orientation. More optimistic and self-efficacious individuals tend to be proactive, innovative, and risk-takers. Such attitudes create a mindset of adaptation, resilience, and acceptance in the face of uncertainty. However, the findings of (Sembiring & Amalia, 2018) and (Mahfud et al., 2020) suggest that entrepreneurial orientation not only taps the interest of entrepreneurs, but also improves a sense depending on pyscap (PC), hence improving mental preparedness.

In addition, both entrepreneurial orientation and social support have positively affected the intention to become an entrepreneur. Social support motivates and secures mind, body, spirit, and access to resources needed for business startup confidence. On the other hand, an orientation to entrepreneurship motivates people to see opportunities, innovate, and take risks, and hence they are more likely to choose entrepreneurship as a career. These results align with Andika (Isma & Diarra, 2025), (Romero-Colmenares & Reyes-Rodríguez, 2022), and (Mahfud et al., 2020), who note the relevance of external and internal determinants in forming entrepreneurial intentions. In contrast, Pyscap is also a strong predictor of entrepreneurial intention and mediates the relationship between social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation on entrepreneurial intentions. Individuals with strong pyscap tend to be more optimistic, confident, and able to face business risks, thus being more prepared to start a business. Furthermore, pyscap can bridge the social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation into actual entrepreneurial intentions. This aligns with the findings of (Maslakci et al., 2022), (Zhao et al., 2020), (Hassan et al., 2023), and (Mahfud et al., 2020), which emphasize that pyscap is a key factor in translating potential and support into entrepreneurial action.

5. Conclusion

The results conclude that social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation influence pyscap positively in USK students. Furthermore, social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation were also shown to have a direct positive influence on entrepreneurial intention, just as pyscap also influences the intention positively. Furthermore, pyscap acts as a mediating variable that strengthens the social support and entrepreneurial attitude orientation impact on entrepreneurial intention, thus indicating that improving students' external and internal factors can encourage the formation of entrepreneurial intention both directly and indirectly. Several practical recommendations are provided based on the findings.

1. The entrepreneurial intention variable obtained the lowest average score of 3.94 for the indicator "I have a clear plan to start a business in the future." Although still in the good category, this result indicates that some respondents do not have a mature business plan. Therefore, it is recommended that universities or related institutions improve entrepreneurial mentoring programs, such as business plan preparation training, entrepreneurship seminars, and business incubation activities so that students or respondents have a clearer picture in planning their future businesses.

2. The pyscap variable showed the lowest average value of 3.94 for the indicator "I remain optimistic about success despite facing obstacles in entrepreneurship." This indicates that respondents' level of optimism in facing entrepreneurial challenges still needs to be strengthened. Therefore, it is recommended that educational institutions and entrepreneurship development institutions provide self-development training, entrepreneurial motivation, and share experiences from successful entrepreneurs to increase self-confidence, optimism, and psychological resilience in facing business risks.

3. The statistical variable of social support got the lowest average value of 3.81 for all indicators, specifically "I received support from the surrounding environment to start a business." This meant that support from family, friends, and the social environment still had room for improvement. So they are suggested to improve their entrepreneurship ecosystem, for instance, by student entrepreneur communities, business actor networking activities, as well as building up programs among students and between alumni and entrepreneurs that could make respondents feel stronger social support when starting a business.

4. The variable of entrepreneurial attitude orientation had the lowest average and score of 3.74 for the indicator "I am willing to take the risk to run my own business. While this would be rated as good, this also indicates that some respondents are still hesitant to face the risks associated with entrepreneurship. Thus, it is suggested that university training and learning focus on entrepreneurship, such as business projects, business simulations, and internships for entrepreneurs, so that students can learn how to lead a company as an entrepreneur, which will make them more confident in decision-making.

5. It is recommended that universities incorporate more hands-on entrepreneurship into the curriculum, focusing on experiential rather than simple theoretical learning. This can be modeled using project-based high learning, business competitions, and even a requirement to run a small firm during their domain studies. This way, students not only learn the essence of entrepreneurship but also work on practical skills, gain confidence, and nourish a healthy and sustainable entrepreneurial mindset.

6. Universities also need to expand student access to entrepreneurial resources, such as seed funding, business incubators, and mentoring from professional mentors. These resources will help students test business ideas directly and reduce initial barriers to starting a business. Furthermore, engaging business practitioners as mentors can provide real-world insights into the challenges and strategies of the business world, thus better preparing students mentally and technically.

7. Efforts to improve digital entrepreneurship literacy among students are needed, given the rapid technological advancements that are opening up digital-based business opportunities. Training programs related to digital marketing, e-commerce, social media management, and the use of financial technology can be solutions to increase student competitiveness in entrepreneurship. With strong digital skills, students will more easily develop innovative businesses that are adaptive to market changes.

8. Future research is recommended to expand the scope of variables studied, such as economic environmental factors, access to technology, and the influence of local culture on entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, research can be conducted with a broader scope of respondents or across regions to obtain more comprehensive results. Thus, future research results are expected to provide a more in-depth picture of the factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions in a more holistic manner.