From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstraw pollˌstraw ˈpoll noun [countable] PPVFIND OUTan informal test of several people’s opinions to see what the general feeling about something is
Examples from the Corpus
straw poll• It is a straw poll but our analysis suggests these problems are widespread.• Holloway had pledged to follow the results of a straw poll in his district.• But he paid for phone banks, mailings, transportation and registration fees for his straw poll supporters.• Dole and candidate Lamar Alexander brought backers in from out of state so they could participate in the Iowa straw poll.• For example, they point to the Iowa straw poll conducted last year in which Texas Sen.From Longman Business Dictionarystraw pollˌstraw ˈpoll an occasion when people are asked their opinion about something in an informal and unofficial wayA quick straw poll of delegates revealed that most would prefer a longer conference. → poll 