Vernon, thanks for jumping in here.
All I infer from the "real poetry" comment is that a fair portion of the general public still thinks first of metrical poetry when they think of poetry. I think the BBC survey corroborates that. They may be out of touch with modern poetry and considered unsophisticated. But should there not be a bigger place in the poetry world for them all the same?
"Room for both" is the central issue, and the present imbalance is what I'm trying to understand. Your summary of the pros and cons would lead me to conclude that more balance is desirable.
I came across
this item, which gives Hulme's essay context.
John