Pollster ratings · Head to head

Cygnal vs. Muhlenberg: which pollster is more accurate?

Muhlenberg comes out ahead on 3 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.

 
Cygnal
A
Trust Score 76/100 · rank #8
★ Ahead
Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion
A
Trust Score 77/100 · rank #7

Head to head

MeasureCygnalMuhlenberg
Trust Score76/10077/100 ★
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
3.8 pts3.3 pts ★
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
1.5 better ★1.2 better
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±3.3 pts±3.3 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+2.4R+0.4 ★
Winners called92% ★82%
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
39 polls33 polls
2026 polls11—
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
R+0.3—

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: Cygnal vs. YouGov · Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion vs. YouGov · Cygnal vs. Emerson College · Emerson College vs. Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion · Cygnal vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Cygnal 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, Cygnal or Muhlenberg?

Muhlenberg has the smaller average error (3.3 pts vs. 3.8 pts). Overall, muhlenberg comes out ahead on 3 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (Cygnal: A, Trust Score 76; 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.