Youth agrophobia: the roles of gender and general self-efficacy in a Nigerian agriculture-affiliated-undergraduate sample

Abstract

Agriculture is probably the most potent tool of salvaging unemployment and poverty. Yet, agrophobia persists, even among agriculturally educated youths, necessitating a continued interest in the methodical analysis of youth dynamics in agriculture. This study was designed to survey the influence of general self-efficacy, gender, institutional category and disciplinary affiliation on agrophobia among final-year agriculture students in Ibadan, Nigeria. Four hundred and twenty eight semi-structured, self and randomly administered copies of a questionnaire yielded data whose analysis reveal that 21.2% of respondents exhibit a ‘high’ fear of agriculture. General self-efficacy is negatively and significantly associated with this phobia (p < 0.05). Gender, institutional category and discipline affiliation are also significantly associated with this phobia (p < 0.05) but age is not (p > 0.05). Hence, psychological capital is relevant in efforts to dwindle youths’ fear of agriculture. Being female, a college rather a university student and being in neutral rather than plant and animal-related disciplines are associated with exhibiting significantly less agrophobia.