It's not just for politics. For example, it's used frequently in public health. There have been a ton of polls about mask wearing, whether someone would take a vaccine etc. that help guide public health policy makers and give them a semblance of an idea of where the public is at versus just guessing.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/10/poll-incr...

https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2020/10/19/covid19-corona...