Social values as determinants of entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Cape Town – South Africa

An empirical study was conducted in Cape Town – South Africa – to determine whether social values (family, parents’ work and education) have an impact on entrepreneurship students in the universities of Cape Town, University of Stellenbosch, and University of the Western Cape, as well as Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The paper reviewed the literature about the role social values plays in the people’s lives. Respondents were the entrepreneurship university students. Data were collected in classrooms, and, in most cases, with the facilitation of both the lecturer and the researcher. Bivariate and multivariate tests of statistical significance were conducted, while Cronbach’s Alpha was used to measure the reliability of the research tool. Findings suggest that social values of the university students have an impact on their entrepreneurial intentions. The paper ends with recommendations to universities, entrepreneurship lecturers, parents, government and businesses, as well as civil society organizations. Keywords: social values, entrepreneurship intentions, university students, Cape Town. JEL Classification: Y