Poll: One in Three People are Boycotting Brands over ‘Israel’s” War on Gaza

By Staff, Agencies

More than one in three people say they are boycotting a brand viewed as supporting a side in “Israel's” war on Gaza, with Gulf states and large Muslim-majority countries leading the way.

The latest edition of an annual Trust Barometer report from public relations firm Edelman underscored how sharp divides over the war are causing consumers across the globe to take a stance with their wallets.

The survey polled 15,000 consumers across 15 countries, including France, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US.

The poll didn't say who respondents sided with in the war, but out of the top five countries listed as engaged on boycotting brands over Gaza, three are Muslim-majority nations: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia. India also has a sizeable Muslim minority. Germany was the fifth country.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions [BDS] movement has gained traction across the world as it aims to put pressure on “Israel” over its violations of international law and repression of Palestinians.

Saudi Arabia saw the highest number of respondents, 71 percent, saying that they were boycotting brands over their perceived support for one side.

A poll conducted in December by the Washington Institute for Near Eastern Affairs, a pro-“Israel” think tank, found that 96 percent of Saudi nationals believe Arab countries should cut ties with “Israel” in response to its war on Gaza.

In Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, more than one in two people also said they were boycotting brands.

The number of respondents from Arab and Muslim countries who are boycotting products over the war on Gaza is substantially higher than the global average of 37 percent, slightly more than one in three respondents.

In March, retail giant Alshaya Group, which owns the rights to Starbucks in the Middle East, decided to begin laying off over 2,000 staff in the region and North Africa, or four percent of its total workforce, as a result of consumer boycotts linked to Gaza.