Entrepreneurial intention and behavior of migrant workers returning to farming in rural China: Impact of self-efficacy

Farmers in China constitute a substantial group in the total population, and yet the entrepreneurial behavior of Chinese farmers has not received significant attention from researchers. In this study, we used survey data from 378 participants to analyze the impact of self-efficacy on the entrepreneurial intention and behavior of farmers who were returning to rural areas after migrating to the city for work. The research findings indicated that self-efficacy had a positive predictive effect on returning farmers’ entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial behavior, policy support moderated the direct pathway through which self-efficacy predicted the farmers’ entrepreneurial behavior, and policy support negatively moderated the entrepreneurial behavior of the returning farmers. These findings provide a basis for policy makers to adjust the entrepreneurial policies that apply to returning farmers.