Attitudes, Behaviour, and Patronage Factors of Bank Customers towards Islamic Banks

Abstract The attitudes of bank customers towards Islamic banks are discussed, together with the perceived unique characteristics of Islamic banks by their customers, and the importance of selected patronage factors in choosing conventional and Islamic banks. It is concluded that in considering motives responsible for selecting Islamic banks as depository institutions, religious motives did not stand out as being the only significant ones; bank customers are profit motivated; the evidence generated in the study did not find an important consideration of the new branches′ role in increasing the utilisation of services provided by Islamic banks; peer group influence plays an important role in selecting Islamic banks as depository institutions; and there is a high degree of awareness on the part of bank customers of the advantage of the profit‐loss‐sharing modes of investment and of the economic and social development role of the Islamic banking system.