From identity to boycott: Responsibility attribution, perceived injustice, group-based emotions, and group efficacy in third-party responses to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates boycott behavior toward Israeli products in Türkiye through the lens of the Social Identity Model of Collective Action. Rather than treating boycott as an individual consumption decision, the study conceptualizes it as a form of collective action shaped by social identity, responsibility attribution, perceived injustice, group-based emotions, and group efficacy beliefs. Data were collected from 258 participants residing in Türkiye through an online survey and analyzed using path analysis. The results indicate that identification with Muslim identity is associated with boycott behavior both directly and indirectly. Stronger identification was associated with greater attribution of responsibility to Israel, which was associated with higher perceptions of injustice. Perceived injustice was linked to boycott behavior through emotional processes involving empathy and anger, which were also associated with stronger beliefs in group efficacy. In contrast, attributing responsibility to Palestine was negatively associated with perceived injustice and boycott behavior, suggesting an alternative cognitive pattern associated with lower boycott participation. Overall, the findings indicate a pattern of associations in which identity-based interpretations, responsibility attributions, moral emotions, and efficacy beliefs were linked to boycott participation in a third-party conflict context.