Does Sustainability Literacy Drive Green Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy Among Gen Z Students? The Moderating Roles of University Support, Digital Literacy, and Family Support

The 2030 Agenda highlights education and entrepreneurship as critical drivers of sustainable development, yet little is known about how sustainability literacy translates into green entrepreneurial confidence among Gen Z students in developing and post-conflict economies. This study examines the direct and mediated effects of sustainability literacy on green entrepreneurial self-efficacy (GESE) through biospheric values, and the moderating roles of university support, digital literacy, and family support. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 417 Gen Z undergraduate students from Universitas Negeri Padang (Indonesia) and Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (Timor-Leste). Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA). Results show that sustainability literacy directly enhances GESE (β = 0.342, p < 0.001) and indirectly through biospheric values (indirect effect = 0.156, p < 0.001). University support moderates the values→efficacy pathway (β = 0.148, p < 0.05), while digital literacy moderates the literacy→efficacy pathway (β = 0.198, p < 0.01). However, family support did not moderate any relationship, and digital literacy exhibited a ceiling effect among Gen Z respondents. IPMA reveals biospheric values and sustainability literacy as high-importance, high-performance priorities, with no urgent intervention needed. We conclude that cultivating biospheric values matters more than transmitting knowledge alone, and university support should strategically target value-driven students rather than compensate for low literacy.