Pollster ratings · Head to head

ABC/Washington Post vs. NYT/Siena: which pollster is more accurate?

Even: ABC/Washington Post and NYT/Siena split the 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index, which grades pollsters on how close their final polls came to actual results from 1998 to 2022.

 
ABC News/The Washington Post
A
Trust Score 80/100 · rank #6
 
The New York Times/Siena College
A+
Trust Score 84/100 · rank #3

Head to head

MeasureABC/Washington PostNYT/Siena
Trust Score80/10084/100 ★
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
3.1 pts ★4.1 pts
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
1.1 better ★0.8 better
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±3 pts ★±3.9 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+1.5D+1.3 ★
Winners called67%69% ★
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
69 polls92 polls
2026 polls223
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
—R+1

2026 races both have polled

RaceABC/Washington Post (latest)NYT/Siena (latest)
Michigan SenateEl-Sayed 48, Rogers 45 (D+0.7 vs. avg)El-Sayed 49, Rogers 44 (D+2.1 vs. avg)
Michigan GovernorBenson 53, James 41 (D+5 vs. avg)Benson 48, James 43 (R+3.1 vs. avg)

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: New York Times/Siena College vs. YouGov · ABC News/The Washington Post vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. New York Times/Siena College · ABC News/The Washington Post vs. Emerson College · New York Times/Siena College vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · ABC News/The Washington Post vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. New York Times/Siena College · New York Times/Siena College vs. Rasmussen Reports

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, ABC/Washington Post or NYT/Siena?

ABC/Washington Post has the smaller average error (3.1 pts vs. 4.1 pts). Overall, even: ABC/Washington Post and NYT/Siena split the 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (ABC/Washington Post: A, Trust Score 80; NYT/Siena: A+, Trust Score 84).

Have ABC/Washington Post and NYT/Siena polled the same 2026 races?

Yes: 2 races in Crosstab's data, including Michigan Senate, Michigan Governor.

Grades: Crosstab Trust Index, computed from FiveThirtyEight's pollster-ratings data (CC BY 4.0), 1998–2022; 2026 measures from Crosstab's polling data.

Updated 2026-10-04 · Crosstab, nonpartisan polling analysis.