<![CDATA[This study aims to analyze the factors that lead people in Guluk-Guluk District, Sumenep Regency, to prefer distributing zakat through local Qur'an teachers rather than official zakat management institutions and to describe public perceptions of the performance and credibility of such institutions. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation and analyzed thematically with the assistance of NVivo 15 through data familiarization, initial coding, theme searching, theme review, theme definition, and reporting. The findings identify four major factors shaping community preferences: high trust in Qur'an teachers, an inherited tradition of direct zakat distribution, limited understanding of the mechanisms and benefits of institutional zakat management, and strong social-religious closeness to Qur'an teachers. Public perceptions of zakat institutions are shaped by transparency, institutional credibility, distribution effectiveness, and socialization. The findings indicate that reluctance does not necessarily represent rejection of formal institutions; rather, it results from the interaction of socially grounded trust, local tradition, zakat literacy, and perceptions of institutional governance. Therefore, stronger transparency, continuous socialization, and collaboration between zakat institutions and local Qur'an teachers are important for increasing community participation. ]]>
