Purpose The literature considers the big five personality traits and entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) to be important individual-level factors that determine entrepreneurial intention. However, little is known about the profiles of personal characteristics of individuals who express a high level of entrepreneurial intention. The purpose of this paper is to carry out a comparative analysis of personal characteristics that contribute to new business start-up intention. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from two samples, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was performed to extract patterns of personal characteristics (i.e. the big five personality traits and ESE) that impact entrepreneurial intention. Findings The outcomes of the analyses demonstrate that a high level of entrepreneurial intention can be realized through multiple configurations of the big five personality traits and ESE. Practical implications This paper can inform practice on entrepreneurship education. Specifically, the paper includes implications for the development of ESE, and for understanding multiple configurations of personal characteristics that lead to a high level of entrepreneurial intention. Originality/value This paper addresses an identified need to understand how personal characteristics operate conjointly and among individuals.
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