Muslim-majority countries actively boycotting brands due to Israel’s war on Gaza: survey

A recent survey revealed that more than one in three people are boycotting brands due to Israel's war on Gaza, with Muslim-majority countries being particularly active in the movement.

The annual Trust Barometer report from American public relations firm Edelman highlighted substantial shifts in consumer behavior amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The survey included 15,000 participants from 15 countries, including the US, UK, France, and Saudi Arabia.

The top five countries actively participating in the boycott include three Muslim-majority countries Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Indonesia. India ranked fourth, largely due to its sizable Muslim minority, while Germany came in fifth.

In Saudi Arabia, where the population is predominantly pro-Palestine, 71% of respondents reported participating in the boycott, making it the leading country in the movement.

In Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, one in two people reported boycotting brands.

The survey found that the boycott rate among people from Arab and Muslim countries was considerably higher than the global average of 37%.

As a result of the global boycott campaign, major Western businesses have reported a decline in their operations in Muslim-majority countries.

Facing a drop in sales due to boycotts, Starbucks' franchise owner in the Middle East and North Africa, Alshaya Group, was forced to reduce 4% of their total workforce across the region.

Earlier this year, McDonald's CEO, Chris Kempczinski, expressed disappointment and questioned the justification for the boycott, causing them to miss their first quarterly sales target in almost four years. 

However, Israel’s war on Gaza had “meaningfully impacted” its sales, particularly in the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia.