Abstract Book of the 13th International Conference on Research in Behavioral and Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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Role of Religiosity in Forming Social Entrepreneurial Intention: Insights from Japan
Rahul Goswami, Arpita Ghatak, Swagato Chatterjee, Mototaka Sakashita
ABSTRACT:
This study examines how intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity shape social entrepreneurial intention (SEI) in Japan through socio-psychological mechanisms. Analyzing data from 300 respondents via structural equation modelling, the findings reveal that intrinsic religiosity indirectly fosters SEI by cultivating positive attitudes toward social entrepreneurship, while extrinsic religiosity strengthens SEI through heightened subjective norms (e.g., societal expectations). Neither dimension directly influences SEI, underscoring the necessity of mediating cognitive and normative pathways. This research challenges homogenized views of religion in entrepreneurship, indicating that intrinsic religiosity is associated with self-transcendent values, while extrinsic religiosity supports communal conformity. This duality contributes to socio-psychological frameworks on decision-making. This study situates Japan’s social entrepreneurial intentions (SEI) within its Shinto-Buddhist syncretism and communal norms. Extrinsic religiosity aligns with practices like Tasukeai (mutual aid), emphasizing collective responsibility, whereas intrinsic religiosity drives personal moral obligations (e.g., internal ethical mandates to “do good”). This study deepens the social psychology of pro-social behaviour by elucidating how religiosity operates through attitudes and norms rather than direct religious mandates. By differentiating religiosity’s dimensions and their indirect effects, the study provides a nuanced framework for understanding how religious motivations translate into socio-entrepreneurial intent across diverse sociocultural settings.
Keywords: intrinsic religiosity, extrinsic religiosity, subjective norms, attitude towards social entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship in Japan