Title: Optimism, economic concern, trust in the government, and entrepreneurial intention during the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors: Sharon Garyn-Tal; Shosh Shahrabani; Sara Lev; Helen Roberts

Addresses: The Economics and Management Department, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Emek Yezreel, P.O. 1930600, Israel ' The Economics and Management Department, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Emek Yezreel, P.O. 1930600, Israel ' t-hub, The Entrepreneurship Center, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Haifa, P.O. 3200003, Israel ' Department of Accountancy and Finance, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent worldwide economic crisis had a profound impact on the economic situation and decision-making abilities of many individuals, and particularly potential entrepreneurs. The current study investigates the factors affecting entrepreneurial intentions in the context of COVID-19. An online questionnaire was used to collect data among 682 adults in Israel during 2020. The results reveal that optimism orientation, trust in the government, and economic concern exerted a collaborative and interactive influence on the entrepreneurial intentions of Israelis. The research makes both theoretical and practical contributions by exploring new relationships among various factors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that economic policy should provide temporary economic support during crisis periods to reduce the economic concerns of potential entrepreneurs and boost their optimism level, in turn encouraging new entrepreneurship.

Keywords: entrepreneurship; optimism; COVID-19; trust in the government; Israel; economic concern.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2025.143825

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2025 Vol.54 No.2, pp.225 - 245

Received: 30 Jul 2022
Received in revised form: 10 Dec 2022
Accepted: 10 Dec 2022
Published online: 09 Jan 2025 *

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