The Impact of Entrepreneurial Policy Perception on Entrepreneurial Intention: The Chain Mediation Role of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Entrepreneurial Narcissism

Against the backdrop of the “innovation-driven” and “employment-first” strategies, entrepreneurship among college students has become an important pathway for optimizing the employment structure and promoting high-quality development. Drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behavior and social cognitive theory, this study develops a chain mediation model linking entrepreneurial policy perception, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial narcissism, and entrepreneurial intention. Using survey data from 1,040 undergraduates in applied universities in Fujian Province, the empirical analysis yields three major findings: (1) entrepreneurial policy perception exerts a significant positive effect on entrepreneurial intention; (2) entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial narcissism both play significant mediating roles; and (3) entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial narcissism jointly constitute a chain mediation pathway, revealing the psychological transmission mechanism from external policy incentives to individual cognition, personality traits, and ultimately to entrepreneurial intention. These findings enrich theoretical research on the formation of entrepreneurial intention and provide practical implications for the reform of entrepreneurship education in higher education institutions and the effective implementation of youth entrepreneurship support policies.