CBS/YouGov Poll: About half say Joe Biden won the first presidential debate

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden met for their first debate with just over a month until the November election. A CBS News/YouGov Poll conducted immediately after the contest shows that about half (48%) of likely voters who watched the debate believe Biden won. About two in five (41%) say President Trump did. One in 10 (10%) called the event a tie.

The debate was filled with both candidates interrupting and talking over one another, even as they addressed topics ranging from the Supreme Court vacancy to handling the COVID-19 pandemic. More than four in five (83%) likely voters who watched the debate describe its overall tone as negative.

More than two-thirds (69%) of likely voters who tuned into the broadcast say it left them feeling annoyed — though, about three in 10 (31%) found it entertaining. Voters are split between whether the debate left them feeling more pessimistic (19%) or optimistic (18%), but just 17% said the exchange left them feeling informed.

See the toplines from this CBS News/YouGov Poll

Related: How Joe Biden and Donald Trump compare on key debate topics

Methodology: This CBS News survey is based on 1,039 interviews of likely voters who reported watching the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 29, 2020. Respondents were previously interviewed by YouGov between September 25-28, 2020 to indicate whether they planned to watch the debate, and if they were willing to be re-interviewed after the debate. The margin of error is +/- 3.4 points.

Image: Getty