STUDENTS’ ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION IN RESPECT TO THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAITS, GENDER AND STUDY PROGRAM OF THE FACULTY

The aim of the paper is to identify the entrepreneurial tendency of students of the Faculty of Economics in Subotica. The subject of the research is the analysis of relationship between students’ personality traits and their intention to start their own business, as well as the existence of a difference in entrepreneurial intent, depending on gender and chosen study program attended by the student. For this purpose, an empirical research was conducted on a sample of 517 final year students at the Faculty of Economics in Subotica, University of Novi Sad. The research hypotheses were tested using the Spearman's correlation and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test within the SPSS 20.0 program. Empirical results highlight the existence of a statistically significant correlation between personality traits such as need for achievement and need for independence on one hand and the inclination of students to start their own business on the other. Also, there is a statistically significant difference between students of different genders and study orientation and their entrepreneurial intentions. The male students and those attending the Department of Management are more oriented towards implementation of entrepreneurial activities in some period of life in comparison to female students and students who attend other study programs. The set research framework points to further guidance in encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the key drivers for a higher level of entrepreneurial intention of students after graduating from the Faculty of Economics.