  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a young, oil-rich country, where national
youth display a clear preference for public sector employment. Growing youth
unemployment reinforces the importance of non-government employment, including
entrepreneurship. This study investigates UAE national youth intentions towards
entrepreneurship through the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Entrepreneurial
Intention Questionnaire (EIQ). Analysis (N=544) identifies the direct influence
of attitude and perceived behavioral control, and indirect influence of
subjective norms on entrepreneurship intention. Results also examine several
demographic variables and highlight the potential importance of family and
social groups in promoting entrepreneurial intentions in this emerging country
context.
