Social entrepreneurship is influenced by both institutional factors and entrepreneur-specific attributes. This study integrates five antecedent conditions related to institutions and entrepreneur characteristics (government activism, post-materialism values, entrepreneurial education, self-efficacy, and fear of failure). Leveraging sample data from 40 countries, the fsQCA method is employed to investigate the combined effects of these factors on the level of social entrepreneurship activity. The findings are summarized as follows: (1) No single antecedent condition serves as a necessary condition for achieving high levels of social entrepreneurship activity. Instead, social entrepreneurship thrives when all five antecedent conditions are synergistically aligned. (2) Three pathways lead to high levels of social entrepreneurship activity: the norm-self-efficacy-driven pathway without regulatory support, the cognition-self-efficacy-driven pathway without regulatory support, and the cognition-fear-of-failure-driven pathway with regulatory support. (3) Two pathways result in non-high levels of social entrepreneurship activity, indicating a causal asymmetry between high and non-high social entrepreneurship activity paths. This paper transcends previous research limitations that focused solely on the independent effects of institutional elements and entrepreneur characteristics on social entrepreneurship. It enhances our understanding of the driving factors and pathways influencing social entrepreneurship activity levels, better explains cross-country differences in social entrepreneurship activity levels, and provides guidance for government departments aiming to enhance social entrepreneurship activity.