Paper Title
Optimism, Economic Concern, Trust in the Government and Entrepreneurial Intention during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract
This study sought to develop a theoretical model of entrepreneurial intention, which involves the interplay of optimism, economic concern and trust in the government. Data were collected through an online questionnaire completed by 682 adults in Israel during 2020. The study used structural equation modelling analysis to examine the structure of the entrepreneurial intentions model. The results reveal that optimism orientation, trust in the government and economic concern collaboratively and interactively influence the entrepreneurial intentions of Israelis. Moreover, trust in the government was found to have a positive partial mediating effect on the relationship between personal variables (including education and age) and entrepreneurial intention. Finally, economic concerns and optimism orientation were also found to fully mediate the impact of income on entrepreneurial intention. The findings of this study are discussed and proposals with implications for practitioners are provided. Keywords - Entrepreneurship; Optimism; Covid-19; Trust in the Government; Israel;