Pollster ratings · Head to head

Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. vs. Muhlenberg: which pollster is more accurate?

Muhlenberg comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index, which grades pollsters on how close their final polls came to actual results from 1998 to 2022.

 
Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research
B
Trust Score 59/100 · rank #29
★ Ahead
Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion
A
Trust Score 77/100 · rank #7

Head to head

MeasureBeacon Research/Shaw & Co.Muhlenberg
Trust Score59/10077/100 ★
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
4.4 pts3.3 pts ★
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
0 better1.2 better ★
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±4 pts±3.3 pts ★
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+2.2R+0.4 ★
Winners called67%82% ★
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
42 polls33 polls
2026 polls21—
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
D+0.8—

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. YouGov · Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion vs. YouGov · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. Emerson College · Emerson College vs. Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. New York Times/Siena College · Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion vs. New York Times/Siena College

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. or Muhlenberg?

Muhlenberg has the smaller average error (3.3 pts vs. 4.4 pts). Overall, muhlenberg comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (Beacon Research/Shaw & Co.: B, Trust Score 59; Muhlenberg: A, Trust Score 77).

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.