Pollster ratings · Head to head

Selzer vs. UNH: 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 New Hampshire Survey Center
D
Trust Score 16/100 · rank #69

Head to head

MeasureSelzerUNH
Trust Score94/100 ★16/100
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
2.7 pts ★6 pts
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
2.1 better ★0.8 worse
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±2.7 pts ★±5.5 pts
Historical bias
closer to even is better
D+0.3 ★D+2.5
Winners called89% ★82%
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
35 polls116 polls
2026 polls—31
2026 lean
versus other polls of the same races
—D+0.5

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: University of New Hampshire Survey Center vs. YouGov · Selzer & Co. vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Emerson College vs. Selzer & Co. · New York Times/Siena College vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Beacon Research/Shaw & Co. Research vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Rasmussen Reports vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center · Ipsos vs. University of New Hampshire Survey Center

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, Selzer or UNH?

Selzer has the smaller average error (2.7 pts vs. 6 pts). Overall, selzer comes out ahead on 6 of 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (Selzer: A+, Trust Score 94; UNH: D, Trust Score 16).

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.