Which Factors among Religious Animosity, Ideological Incompatibility, and Rumour are more relevant for Triggering the Brand Hate and Boycott Intention

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Entrepreneurship, The College of Business Management (CBM), Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, Pakistan

2 Assistant Professor, Department business administration, Iqra University H-9 Campus, Islamabad Pakistan

3 Faculty of Management, Prague University of Economics and Business, Jarošovská 1117/II, Jindrichuv Hradec 377 01, Czech Republic

10.22059/ijms.2026.403345.678087

Abstract

Boycott intention is an interesting domain of research and an exciting area to explore. The study is conducted to investigate the relationship between religious animosity (RG), ideological incompatibility (II), rumour (RM), brand hate (BH), boycott Intention (BI), Country of origin (CO), and market uncertainty (MU). Current research collected data in two time-waves over a period of three months and seventeen days, starting in February 2024. A convenience sampling method was employed to gather the data, and 307 final responses were analyzed. The results supported all hypotheses. It is noted that the positive effect of ideological incompatibility on brand hate is observed. Additionally, there are positive impacts of rumour on brand hate. It is also observed that brand hate has an impact on boycott intention. The results have also supported the partial mediation of brand hate. Moderation of Country of origin and market uncertainty has also been supported. The current research makes a significant contribution to a valuable understanding of negative consumer-brand relationships (CBRs) by examining the antecedents of brand hate and its moderators, including boycott intention. The current study also contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an in-depth explanation of the entire model based on social identity theory.

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