Half of registered voters view Harris as the debate winner
September 13, 2024 - Washington, DC - The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted following the first presidential debate on September 10th, 2024, shows Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris maintaining her lead among registered voters over Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. The survey also shows that half of registered voters believe Harris won the debate, and another half say that Harris gave the impression of having higher moral integrity than Trump.
For more information about this study, please click here. 
Detailed Findings:
1. Harris maintains her lead in the national race against Trump, with 47% of registered voters saying they would vote for her if the election were held today, compared to 42% who say they would vote for Trump. In late August, Reuters/Ipsos polling showed 45% of registered voters would choose Harris and 41% would choose Trump. (The polling does not indicate how Harris or Trump would perform in the electoral college, which is the deciding factor for who wins the presidency.)
2. Looking at perceptions of the candidates following the debate among registered voters who have at least heard or seen something about the debate shows 47% say Harris made them more hopeful for the future (Trump – 35%), 52% say she gave the impression of having higher moral integrity (Trump – 29%), 56% said she appeared more dignified (Trump – 26%), 49% said she seemed like someone who would listen and understand their concerns (Trump – 33%), and 53% said she won the debate (Trump-24%). Fifty-two percent of registered voters who at least heard or saw something about the debate said Trump stumbled and didn’t appear sharp (Harris -21%).
3. The survey asked respondents to evaluate which candidate they believe will prioritize key issues. Registered voters believe Trump would prioritize maintaining or increasing America’s national defense capabilities (51%, Harris-34%), foster a good climate for business (47%, Harris-37%), and lower prices for everyday things like groceries and gas (43%, Harris-36%). In contrast, registered voters believe Harris would prioritize increasing taxes on people and businesses who haven’t been paying their fair share (54%, Trump-20%), would work to decrease gun violence (48%, Trump-27%), and would make it possible to receive affordable, good quality healthcare (46%, Trump-31%). Registered voters are torn on whether Harris (43%) or Trump (42%) would prioritize creating an economic climate that is good for them and their family.
About the Study
This poll, conducted by Ipsos for Reuters, was conducted between September 11-12, 2024, using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,690 general population adults age 18 or older. This poll also includes 1,405 registered voters, 503 Democratic registered voters, 450 Republican registered voters, and 388 independent registered voters.
The margin of sampling error for this study is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.10 for all respondents. For registered voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect was 1.05 for registered voters. For Democratic registered voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect was 1.06 for Democratic registered voters. For Republican registered voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect was 1.06 for Republican registered voters. For independent registered voters, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 5.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The design effect was 1.08 for independent registered voters.
In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.
The data for the total sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, Census region, education, household income, metropolitan status, and political party identification. The demographic benchmarks came from the 2023 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS). Political Party benchmarks came from NPORS 2024. More details about the weighting benchmarks for this study can be found below:
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other or 2+ Races Non-Hispanic, Hispanic)
- Education (High School graduate or less, Some College, Bachelors and beyond)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- Party ID (Republican, Lean Republican, Independent/No lean, Lean Democrat, Democrat)
About Ipsos
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Source: Ipsos
