Last week, half of Americans say they tuned in for at least part of the vice presidential debate between candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance, which was hosted by CBS News. Polling conducted after the debate finds that more debate-watchers consider Vance (46%) than Walz (32%) the winner, and more say it improved their perceptions of Vance than of Walz.
Slightly more Republicans (61%) than Democrats (53%) say they watched either all or portions of the vice presidential debate. Republicans who watched it believe Vance was the winner by 84% to 4%. By 68% to 6%, Democrats think Walz won.
Among vice presidential debate-watchers, more strongly or somewhat approve (57%) than disapprove (38%) of how the debate was run. Democrats who watched it overwhelmingly approve (87% to 10%), while Republicans disapprove by 62% to 35%. The vast majority of Democratic viewers (90%) say the vice presidential debate moderators were fair and unbiased. Just 23% of Republicans agree; 60% say they were biased in favor of Tim Walz.
By a margin of 45% to 20%, Americans think that Vance is a better debater than Walz. Vance is also seen as more likely to go over his allotted time in a debate, to interrupt his opponent, to be physically intimidating, to make personal attacks, and to lie.
By 45% to 14%, Americans believe Walz is more likely than Vance to fumble over his words during a debate. The vice presidential candidates are about equally likely to be viewed as being more knowledgeable on policy issues.
Compared to expectations prior to the debate, more Americans now say that Vance is a better debater than Walz, better at staying calm under pressure, and more persuasive. The share saying Walz is more likely than Vance to fumble over his words increased significantly after the debate.
Related:
- What do Republicans think of J.D. Vance?
- What voters think about Tim Walz
- How views of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump changed after their debate
- Kamala Harris' debate win hasn't yet won her new voters, but more like her and see her as qualified
- Harris wins the debate: Voters say she has clearer plans and tells fewer lies than Trump
- How Americans expect Harris and Trump to perform in their first debate
See the results for this YouGov poll
— Carl Bialik contributed to this article
Methodology: This poll was conducted online on October 2 - 5, 2024 among 1,106 U.S. adult citizens. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of adult U.S. citizens. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Baseline party identification is the respondent’s most recent answer given prior to November 1, 2022, and is weighted to the estimated distribution at that time (33% Democratic, 31% Republican). The margin of error for the overall sample is approximately 4%.
Image: Getty
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