Pollster ratings · Head to head

SurveyUSA vs. UMass Lowell: which pollster is more accurate?

Even: SurveyUSA and UMass Lowell 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.

 
SurveyUSA
A
Trust Score 82/100 · rank #4
 
University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion
A
Trust Score 80/100 · rank #5

Head to head

MeasureSurveyUSAUMass Lowell
Trust Score82/100 ★80/100
Average error
how far final polls missed the result
4.2 pts3.4 pts ★
Versus expected
error compared with what its races predicted
0.9 better1.5 better ★
Consistency
random miss once its tilt is removed
±4.2 pts±3.3 pts ★
Historical bias
closer to even is better
Even ★D+1.6
Winners called87% ★85%
Track record
final polls analyzed, 1998–2022
698 polls21 polls
2026 polls41

Compare them in the interactive Trust Index All pollster ratings

More comparisons: SurveyUSA vs. YouGov · University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion vs. YouGov · Emerson College vs. SurveyUSA · Emerson College vs. University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion · SurveyUSA 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. SurveyUSA · New York Times/Siena College vs. University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Public Opinion

Frequently asked questions

Which is more accurate, SurveyUSA or UMass Lowell?

UMass Lowell has the smaller average error (3.4 pts vs. 4.2 pts). Overall, even: SurveyUSA and UMass Lowell split the 6 measures in the Crosstab Trust Index (SurveyUSA: A, Trust Score 82; 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.