Entrepreneurial Aspirations Among Rural Youth: A Study with Reference to Pune District

This study investigates the entrepreneurial intent of rural youth in the Pune District of India, with a focus on aspirations, motivation, barriers and support needs. A quantitative survey of 98 respondents, aged 18-35, from five talukas (Baramati, Haveli, Junnar, Maval and Shirur) was used to explore demographic patterns, levels of entrepreneurial intent and factors influencing the intent and expected barriers. The data were collected using a structured survey that covered socio-economic background, education, extent of family support, access to finance and prior exposure to entrepreneurial role models. Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations were used to explore the data. Out of the total respondents, 63% of respondents had a moderate to high level of entrepreneurial intent. The male youth had a slightly higher entrepreneurial intent (67%), compared to female youth with a moderate to high level of entrepreneurial intent (59%). In terms of motivational factors, 81% of respondents suggested that wanting to generate a stream of income was motivator, 54% represented community recognition/dignity as a motivator and 47% suggested that self-fulfilling wants and needs was a motivator. In terms of barriers to entrepreneurship, 68% of respondents suggested that lack of access to credit financing was a barrier to entrepreneurship, 62% of respondents suggested lack of formal entrepreneurship training as a barrier and 48% reported lack of appropriate infrastructure as a barrier. By disaggregating the results by levels of education, land ownership status and family business status, it was identified that youth from farming families with education at the secondary level had the highest level of intent (72). The results are illustrated with four charts, presenting the respondents' overall entrepreneurial intent levels as a pie chart, motivational factors as a bar chart, perceived barriers using a pie chart and a comparative bar chart presenting the entrepreneurial intent levels of male and female respondents. The implications highlight the need for specific capacity-building programs, simplified credit processes, and improved mentorship. The policy recommendations suggest that rural entrepreneurship cells should be strengthened, mobile-based training modules developed, and local financial institutions offered incentives to institute youth-friendly loan products. The findings added to the theoretical knowledge base by connecting rural socio-economic factors to entrepreneurial intent and providing actionable proposals for key stakeholders who want to support youth-led rural enterprises. Future studies could implement a longitudinal design to measure shifts in aspirations and monitor the impact of intervention programs.