Consumer animosity, boycott motivation, and boycott calls on social media: The case of Israel

In recent years, both globally and in the Turkish context, there has been a remarkable rise in consumer animosity toward certain countries or companies. Such animosity is typically rooted in political, war-related, economic, religious, or ethical reasons, and it directly influences consumer attitudes and purchasing intentions. In parallel, a notable increase in boycott calls and actual boycott actions has been observed, targeting those countries or companies perceived with animosity by consumers. This study investigates the relationship between consumer animosity, boycott calls on social media, and boycott motivation, focusing on Turkish consumers' reactions toward Israel and Israeli-origin products. The research adopts a causal-relational design. The data were gathered via face-to-face and online questionnaires. A total of 444 participants were selected using the convenience sampling method from students at Kütahya Dumlupınar University. The collected data were analyzed using the statistical programs SPSS and SmartPLS through various methods, including Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The research findings indicate that war-related animosity has a significant and positive effect on both boycott calls made on social media and boycott motivation. Similarly, economic animosity was found to significantly and positively influence social media–based boycott calls; however, it did not have a statistically significant effect on boycott motivation. Finally, boycott calls on social media were shown to have a significant and positive impact on boycott motivation.