Entrepreneurial Intentions amongst Tunisian Students: an Empirical Investigation Applying the Big-Five Personality Traits Theory

Unemployment and under-employment played a pivotal role in the dissatisfaction that resulted in the countries directly affected by the so-called Arab Spring. Promoting entrepreneurship can help these countries in moving towards the "entrepreneurial society"; a significant factor in economic growth. This study examines what drives entrepreneurial skills and encourages entrepreneurial intentions among students in Tunisia; the first Arab spring country. The objective is to understand the impact of individual traits of the Tunisian student on his entrepreneurial intentions. The conceptual model postulates an effect of personality traits (according to the Big-Five theory) and risk tolerance on entrepreneurial intentions. Data were collected through a survey of 300 students. The results indicate that the personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and risk tolerance encourage entrepreneurial intentions. However, introversion and agreeableness reduce these intentions. The implications of these results, limitations, and future avenues of research are presented in the conclusion.