Boycott Motivation and Halal Consumer Behavior of Gen Z: The Role of MUI Fatwa

Abstract

This study examines the influence of boycott motivation on Generation Z’s purchasing behavior toward L’Oréal Group products within the context of halal consumer markets and investigates the moderating role of MUI Fatwa No. 83/2023 as a form of religious guidance. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected from 384 Indonesian Muslim Generation Z respondents through an online survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that boycott motivation has a significant and positive effect on purchasing decisions, highlighting the importance of moral awareness and social solidarity in shaping consumer behavior. The MUI Fatwa also exerts a significant direct influence, suggesting that religious authority continues to play a role in reinforcing ethical considerations among Muslim consumers. However, the moderating effect of the fatwa is statistically significant but weak and negative, indicating that it slightly attenuates the relationship between boycott motivation and purchasing decisions. This finding suggests that Generation Z consumers rely more on internalized ethical values and humanitarian concerns than on formal religious directives. The study concludes that while faith remains an important moral reference, value-based religiosity and social consciousness are more dominant in guiding halal consumer behavior. These findings provide strategic implications for halal industry stakeholders in designing halal branding, ethical positioning, and communication strategies that align with the values of socially conscious Muslim Generation Z consumers.