| dc.description.abstract | Indonesia's national zakat potential, which reaches approximately IDR 327.6 trillion annually, is still far from being realized, with only around 6.9% effectively collected each year. Medan City, as one of Indonesia’s major urban centers with a significant Muslim population, faces similar challenges namely low awareness of zakat obligations, suboptimal adoption of digital platforms, and lack of transparency in zakat management institutions. This study aims to examine the effect of zakat awareness, adoption of digital platforms, and management transparency on the optimization of zakat realization in Medan. Employing a quantitative approach with a causal-comparative design, data were collected through questionnaires from 75 zakat payers (muzakki) selected using simple random sampling.
Data analysis was performed using multiple linear regression. The results indicate that all three independent variables zakat awareness, digital platform adoption, and transparency have a significant positive effect on zakat optimization, both partially and simultaneously. These findings reinforce the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which posits that attitude (awareness), perceived behavioral control (technology adoption), and subjective norms (institutional transparency) influence individuals’ intention and behavior in paying zakat. This research contributes to the development of a community-based zakat ecosystem at the city level and recommends strategies such as zakat literacy education, digital transformation, and strengthening institutional accountability. Future studies may extend this research using a mixed-methods approach to gain a deeper understanding of zakat payer behavior in urban communities.
The practical implication of this study is the need for zakat institutions in Medan City to strengthen strategies that encourage muzakki to pay zakat through formal channels. These strategies can include increasing community-based zakat literacy, developing user-friendly and secure digital platforms, and implementing more accountable transparency in fund reporting. Thus, this study not only contributes to academic literature but also provides concrete recommendations for zakat institutions and local governments to improve the decision-making patterns of muzakki in urban areas. | en_US |
