Human competence beyond technology acceptance explaining digital entrepreneurial intention in widely adopted digital contexts

Abstract

This study investigates the determinants of digital entrepreneurial intention among Generation Z in Vietnam by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), digital competence, and the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem. It challenges the continued relevance of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in a digitally mature environment where digital technologies have become ubiquitous. A quantitative research design was employed using a cross-sectional survey of 2,559 Generation Z respondents. The proposed model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with a two-stage approach to estimate the higher-order constructs. The findings reveal that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use no longer exert significant effects on digital entrepreneurial intention. Instead, digital competence emerges as the primary internal driver, shaping entrepreneurial attitudes and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Moreover, the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem and entrepreneurship education indirectly strengthen entrepreneurial intention by fostering favorable subjective norms, while the ecosystem positively moderates the relationship between digital competence and PBC. The integrated model explains 76.9% of the variance in digital entrepreneurial intention. These findings suggest a shift from technology-centered approaches toward human-centered capability development, highlighting the need to enhance digital competence, foster entrepreneurial mindsets, and cultivate supportive digital entrepreneurial ecosystems to promote digital entrepreneurship in an era of pervasive digitalization in Vietnam.