Guardian/ICM poll finds 69% of viewers giving victory to the Ukip frontman, while just 31% think that Liberal Democrat leader won.
Nick Clegg suffered a resounding defeat in Wednesday’s televised Europe debate with Nigel Farage, according to an instant Guardian/ICM poll. Of viewers giving a verdict, 69% said Ukip’s frontman had won, with just 31% giving victory to the Liberal Democrat leader.
Viewers also judged, by 49% to 39%, that Nigel Farage came across as having the “more appealing personality”. By an emphatic 64% to 30% margin viewers thought he had the better arguments.
Farage was judged the victor with ICM across all age groups and regions, and even among viewers who had been Lib Dem voters in 2010 – only 41% of those who had backed Clegg in the last election thought he came out on top, as against 59% who thought Farage did.
Whereas only 7% of viewers say they are now more likely to vote Lib Dem in next month’s Euro election, 38% say the same of Ukip.
Turning to the prospect of an in/out EU referendum, only 16% say their vote would be shifted by what they saw, against 69% who say they had already made up their mind. But overall, 53% of the sample are now inclined towards voting to “leave the EU” against 39% who say they would want to stay in.
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