Is asking a specific question about people’s opinions a violation of the “chat” rule?

Answer 1

It can be and is all in the context. "Do you like....?" will almost always be a chat violation. "What are the pros and cons of  .......?" is usually not. The first is only asking 100% opinion as a yes/no, while the second is looking for facts.

Answer 2

Yes, unless you post in "Polls and Surveys".

Answer 3

Yeah..."Do you like" or "What's your favorite" and similar, although COMMON in the Polls & Surveys subcategory, are not information seeking and don't provide answers that are useful to anyone, so are considered chat. 

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That's not to say all opinion questions are violations. The key is to ask such questions where they answers may be of use to people. Example: "What are some not-to-miss sites to visit when in Rome?" . That's still an opinion question, as some people will feel some sites are worth seeing and others aren't, but the answers to a question like that may benefit not only the person who posted the question, but others who may be planning to visit that same location. 

Answer 4

Questions ABOUT THE ANSWERER are always considered chat.

so don't ask "do you....?", "what is your....?" etc

Answer 5

Yes anything Opinion Related counts as Chat

Answer 6

It depends on what is asked.

"What is a good snack for a football party?" is great since it requires data to answer.

"Do you like salsa?" is just yes/no and most will be chat under the rules.