Pollster ratings · Head to head

Selzer vs. Suffolk: which pollster is more accurate?

Selzer 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.

★ Ahead
Selzer & Co.
A+
Trust Score 94/100 · rank #1
 
Suffolk University
A-
Trust Score 68/100 · rank #16

Head to head

MeasureSelzerSuffolk
Trust Score94/100 ★68/100
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
2.7 pts ★4.1 pts
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
2.1 better ★0.7 better
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±2.7 pts ★±4 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+0.3 ★D+1.5
Winners called89% ★81%
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
35 polls60 polls
2026 polls—14
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
—D+1.3

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: Suffolk University vs. YouGov · Selzer & Co. vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. Suffolk University · Emerson College vs. Selzer & Co. · Suffolk University vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Selzer & Co. vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · New York Times/Siena College vs. Suffolk University · New York Times/Siena College vs. Selzer & Co.

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, Selzer or Suffolk?

Selzer has the smaller average error (2.7 pts vs. 4.1 pts). Overall, selzer comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (Selzer: A+, Trust Score 94; Suffolk: A-, Trust Score 68).

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 2026-11-11 · Crosstab, nonpartisan polling analysis.