Intention to participate in Islamic banking in Indonesia: Does socio-political identity matter?

Purpose The fact that Islamic banking in Indonesia held only a 7% market share in 2023 is ironic, considering that Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Beyond differences in ethnicity, race and religious understanding, Indonesia’s sociopolitical diversity also presents an intriguing study area about consumer decisions to use financial services. This study aims to investigate the influence of sociopolitical identity on attitudes and intentions to participate in Islamic banking in Indonesia using the theory of reasoned action as a basis. Design/methodology/approach This study used SEM-PLS to investigate the intention to participate in Islamic banking among Muslim communities in Indonesia. Its focus on prediction and theory building aligns perfectly with the objectives of this study, making it the most appropriate methodological choice. The sample used in this study comprised 343 respondents. The structural model was used to test the relationship between intention to participate in Islamic banking and religiosity, subjective norms, attitudes and sociopolitical identity, with reputation as mediation. Findings This study found that three variables significantly affect the intention to participate in Islamic banks: attitude (AT), reputation (RP) and subjective norms (SN). Sociopolitical identity (SP) and religiosity (RE) do not have a direct effect. However, sociopolitical identity (SP), attitudes (AT) and religiosity (RE) have been proven to have an indirect impact through reputation (RP) as mediation, and only subjective norms (SN) have not. Practical implications This study implies that Islamic banking needs to consider non-marketing aspects because, based on its findings, non-marketing factors such as sociopolitical identity and religiosity have been proven to influence the intention to participate in Islamic banking in Indonesia. Originality/value This study’s respondents were two Muslim communities in Indonesia with the largest mass and assets, namely, Nahdhatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. The inclusion of non-marketing aspects, such as sociopolitical identity, in the research model added value, which is still rarely researched.