public-opinion poll

[ puhb-lik-uh-pin-yuhn ]

noun

1. a poll taken by sampling a cross section of the public in an effort to predict election results or to estimate public attitudes on issues.

Word History and Origins

Origin of public-opinion poll¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

But according to a public-opinion poll conducted August 2020 to February 2021 by Gallup, 54 percent of Americans said they had “a lot” of trust in scientists, which was up nine percentage points from 2018, according to a report published in November by Wellcome Trust, a health research foundation in London.

From Washington Post

In Utah, some state legislators explored an end to civil marriage altogether, while then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal proposed abolishing a Supreme Court that he said had “become a public-opinion poll instead of a judicial body.”

From Washington Post

Political reporters scrutinize every public-opinion poll as if it were the I Ching.

From Washington Post

A public-opinion poll released Friday showed Hong Kong residents overwhelmingly blame the government and police for the violence that has marred the protests, traumatized the city and sent its economy into recession.

From Washington Post

A public-opinion poll released last week found that more than half of Hong Kongers surveyed strongly supported the U.S. bill and fewer than a quarter strongly opposed it.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• application
• census
• sampling
• survey