As a nationalistic uproar continues to boil against Western brands in China over their refusal to use Xinjiang cotton, an online opinion poll suggests that Chinese netizens may actually be more sensitive to price than national security.

An opinion poll has found that almost half of those surveyed would buy Nike sneakers, for example, if the prices were slashed by more than half. The poll, conducted by the Chinese sports-related social media platform Hupu, sought to find out if Chinese netizens would actually boycott Nike shoes because of its stance against using cotton produced in the Uyghur-dominated region.

The Western boycott of cotton produced in Xinjiang is rooted in concerns about potential human rights abuses and forced labor inflicted on the Uyghurs in that district of western China.

Nike, an American sportswear brand, is among several international companies, including H&M, Adidas, Burberry and New Balance, that are facing a potential boycott by Chinese citizens after they raised concerns over the production of cotton in Xinjiang.

The Hupu online poll found that, among 7,284 people who provided answers, 45% said if prices for Nike sneakers were slashed by more than half, they would still snap up a pair. Another 17% said “it depends”, while 38% insisted on boycotting the products regardless of price.

“Honesty is an action,” one netizen commented on Hupu in reaction to the survey. However, some netizens have mocked certain pro-Beijing social media influencers for posting anti-Western messages on their iPhones, an American smartphone brand.

Cotton made in Xinjiang became a hot issue after a Chinese Communist Party-led youth group accused the Swedish apparel retailer H&M of “spreading rumors” for raising concerns about human rights abuses on Xinjiang cotton farms. A barrage of criticisms has since been seen on Chinese social media platforms, while Chinese celebrities have cut their sponsorship ties with many of the brands involved. But it is unclear how widespread such a sentiment is.

For example, Radio Free Asia reported on Friday that two branches of H&M still saw customers queuing up to snap up the latest offerings.

Taiwan-based commentator Xie Jinhe told Apple Daily that the online campaigns against Western brands and the subsequent boycott calls were very much a “witch hunt” used to force public figures, especially celebrities, to voice support for Beijing.

This campaign is similar to previous uproars about food and wine imports from Australia, and to the reaction against anti-China comments made by certain managers in America’s National Basketball Association, Xie said. Such campaigns can easily be cloned and used in other sectors to benefit China’s economic gains, he added.

Xie predicted that Tesla, an electric car maker that runs a mega factory in Shanghai, might become the target of a similar campaign once it loses its technological lead over its Chinese car-making counterparts.

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