Background Information a public opinion poll is a method of learning what people think and how they feel about a wide variety of subjects. The first poll of public opinion was conducted in 1824 in the Us In the early 20th century public opinion polls began using statistical sampling techniques. After the Second World War and particularly in the 1960s the popularity of the opinion polls grewBackground Information A public opinion poll is a method of learning what people think and how they feel about a wide variety of subjects. The first poll of public opinion was conducted in 1824 in the US. In the early 20th century public opinion polls began using statistical sampling techniques. After the Second World War and particularly in the 1960s the popularity of the opinion polls grew