Pollster ratings · Head to head

Selzer vs. UMass Lowell: 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
 
University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion
A
Trust Score 80/100 · rank #5

Head to head

MeasureSelzerUMass Lowell
Trust Score94/100 ★80/100
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
2.7 pts ★3.4 pts
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
2.1 better ★1.5 better
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±2.7 pts ★±3.3 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+0.3 ★D+1.6
Winners called89% ★85%
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
35 polls21 polls
2026 polls—1

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: Selzer & Co. vs. YouGov · University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. Selzer & Co. · Emerson College vs. University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion · Selzer & Co. vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · New York Times/Siena College vs. Selzer & Co. · New York Times/Siena College vs. University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, Selzer or UMass Lowell?

Selzer has the smaller average error (2.7 pts vs. 3.4 pts). Overall, selzer comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (Selzer: A+, Trust Score 94; UMass Lowell: A, Trust Score 80).

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.