Sustainability-Oriented Cognition and Green Entrepreneurial Intention: Extending TPB Through Social Media Influence

Abstract

Based on the theoretical premises of Theory of Planned Behavior framework, this study examines how sustainability orientation mediates the relationships between attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and green entrepreneurial intention among Indian university students. It further investigates the moderating role of social media influence in strengthening the relationships between these TPB antecedents and sustainability orientation. Data were collected from 328 university students and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Study significantly predicts green entrepreneurial intention (β = 0.226), as results indicate that attitude (β = 0.312), subjective norms (β = 0.268), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.241) significantly predict sustainability orientation. The direct effects on green entrepreneurial intention remain significant, indicating partial mediation. The indirect effects through sustainability orientation are also significant for attitude (β = 0.071), subjective norms (β = 0.061), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.055). Further, social media influence significantly strengthens the relationships of attitude (β = 0.126), subjective norms (β = 0.143), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.111) with sustainability orientation. The model explains 47% of the variance in sustainability orientation and 33% of the variance in green entrepreneurial intention. By integrating sustainability orientation as a mediating cognitive mechanism and social media influence as a contextual moderator within the TPB framework, current study contributes to green entrepreneurship research. This integrated perspective explains both how and under what conditions TPB antecedents contribute to green entrepreneurial intention, highlighting the complementary roles of sustainability-oriented cognition and digitally mediated social influence in the Indian university context.