I guess I was surprised to find out, how oblivious people were in 1939, just months before the war actually started. The normalcy bias is strong. I still don't know what to take from it, though.
Discussion
I have a different take on this that might explain the polls a bit. There is no WW1 and WW2. The Great War started in 1914 and it genuinely took most people by surprise. They were used to wars, but not this. I honestly believe that even those responsible for the war (whoever they were, there are so many possibilities) were taken aback by what they stated. But it never ended. There were some pauses for retreat and regroup and means of war are constantly changing, but the war is still going on. That is the “sense of normalcy” you are talking about. It is now normal for multiple generations to be at the constant state of war disguised as peace.