The University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Lab was named the 12th-best polling organization in the U.S. by 538, a pollster rating group owned by ABC News, the university announced Jan. 30.
The rating is based on empirical accuracy and methodological transparency. Accuracy is measured by the average error and average bias of polls.
Transparency is quantified by how much information is released about how every poll was conducted since 2016.
“In a field that is often criticized for inaccuracy, I am proud to be recognized for our precision and high ethical standards,” Michael Binder, UNF PORL director, said in a news release.
The top three ranked polling organizations are The New York Times/Sienna College, ABC News/Washington Post and Marquette University Law School.
UNF ranked above Quinnipiac University (No. 15), Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy (No. 23) and Gallup (No. 35).
UNF says its research lab, which opened in 2001, is one of only two live caller academic survey centers in Florida. The full-service survey research facility is operated by UNF students under Binder’s direction.
In 2023, the lab conducted 31 polling projects with more than 14,150 surveys completed.
UNF’s PORL is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, a charter member of the association’s Transparency Initiative and a member of the Association of Academic Survey Research Organizations, comprising more than 60 academic survey centers across the country.
Binder took over as director in 2011 from former UNF professor Matthew Corrigan. Staff includes Andrew Hopkins, assistant director, who has been working in the lab since he was a student pursuing his master’s in public administration degree in 2011; Eva Matthews, research coordinator; Joseph Hyder, lab coordinator; and Rachel McDonald, operations manager.