Political polls are hitting overdrive. Here’s a quick guide to understanding them [Video]

On Sunday, Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call a federal election. From that point on, Canada’s federal parties will hit the campaign trail — and pollsters will be closely tracking who Canadians plan to support.

Political polls are a mainstay in any election campaign, and their frequency will increase once the election gets underway. So why do political polls matter, and what should you watch for when reading the results?

CBC Radio’s The House spoke to two poll analysts to explain.

What should you check first?

Philippe Fournier, editor-in-chief of 338Canada.com, said when he sees poll results, he first checks who actually ran the poll “because we know that pollsters are not created equal.”

“There are really good pollsters in this country, but there are also some pollsters that have [a less-tested] track record as others,” he told host Catherine Cullen.

CBC’s Poll Trackercollects data from several Canadian pollsters, …