One television station says that the governments party is at 42% in the polls, but my newspaper did a poll that puts them at 46%. Why are the results different?
Polls done at the same time can yield slightly different results because of the margin of error. The different results can also reflect more significant differences as well. The two polls might have worded their questions differently, which can give slightly different results. Or, they might differ in the way they treat voters who are undecided. Often, pollsters will try to guess how voters will vote in the election by asking them if they are leaning towards one party or another and then including them with more firmly decided voters. These differences can change the results of polls in significant ways.
