This is quite a fix for a polling junkie like me: pollster rankings:
The essential lesson here is not to give deference to 'name-brand' pollsters, or those that are associated with large news organizations. Of our six strongest pollsters, the first two are Internet-friendly operations that use the IVR ('robocall') method, while the next four are boutique or academic shops that limit their polling to a given region. The strongest pollster associated with a large news organization is Mason-Dixon, which conducts polls for The McClatchy Company and MSNBC. However, other major media polling shops, such as FOX / Opinion Dynamics and CBS/New York Times, have considerably underperformed over time. Likewise, some 'brand name' pollsters, like Zogby and Gallup, have had quite poor results.
Good stuff.
