Pollster ratings · Head to head

NYT/Siena vs. SurveyUSA: which pollster is more accurate?

Even: NYT/Siena and SurveyUSA 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.

 
The New York Times/Siena College
A+
Trust Score 84/100 · rank #3
 
SurveyUSA
A
Trust Score 82/100 · rank #4

Head to head

MeasureNYT/SienaSurveyUSA
Trust Score84/100 ★82/100
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
4.1 pts ★4.2 pts
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
0.8 better0.9 better ★
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±3.9 pts ★±4.2 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+1.3Even ★
Winners called69%87% ★
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
92 polls698 polls
2026 polls234
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
R+1—

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

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

NYT/Siena has the smaller average error (4.1 pts vs. 4.2 pts). Overall, even: NYT/Siena and SurveyUSA split the 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (NYT/Siena: A+, Trust Score 84; SurveyUSA: A, Trust Score 82).

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.