Pollster ratings · Head to head

InsiderAdvantage vs. SurveyUSA: which pollster is more accurate?

SurveyUSA 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.

 
InsiderAdvantage
C
Trust Score 28/100 · rank #58
★ Ahead
SurveyUSA
A
Trust Score 82/100 · rank #4

Head to head

MeasureInsiderAdvantageSurveyUSA
Trust Score28/10082/100 ★
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
4.6 pts4.2 pts ★
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
0.3 worse0.9 better ★
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±4.6 pts±4.2 pts ★
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+0.3Even ★
Winners called62%87% ★
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
94 polls698 polls
2026 polls144
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
R+0.8—

2026 races both have polled

RaceInsiderAdvantage (latest)SurveyUSA (latest)
Minnesota SenateFlanagan 46, Tafoya 45 (R+1.2 vs. avg)Flanagan 42, Tafoya 42 (R+4.2 vs. avg)

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: InsiderAdvantage vs. YouGov · SurveyUSA vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. InsiderAdvantage · Emerson College vs. SurveyUSA · InsiderAdvantage vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · SurveyUSA vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · InsiderAdvantage vs. New York Times/Siena College · New York Times/Siena College vs. SurveyUSA

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, InsiderAdvantage or SurveyUSA?

SurveyUSA has the smaller average error (4.2 pts vs. 4.6 pts). Overall, surveyUSA comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (InsiderAdvantage: C, Trust Score 28; SurveyUSA: A, Trust Score 82).

Have InsiderAdvantage and SurveyUSA polled the same 2026 races?

Yes: 1 race in Crosstab's data, including Minnesota Senate.

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.