Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email
Undecided voters gave Jeremy Corbyn a 59-41 per cent lead over Boris Johnson as best performer in last night’s ITV general election leaders’ debate , according to details of YouGov polling.
The two leaders were tied almost neck-and-neck among viewers overall in the survey, with Mr Johnson edging the contest by 51-49 per cent.
But Labour will be heartened by the fact that their leader appears to have gone down better with the potentially crucial swing voters who could decide the outcome of the 12 December general election. One party source said the figures were "encouraging".
YouGov divided voters between those who have “definitely decided” which way they will cast their ballot and those who will “wait until closer to the time”.
Although almost four times as many said they had made up their minds, it is the smaller group of undecideds – making up around 20 per cent of the electorate – who the parties must win over to stand a chance of improving their position on Election Day.
General election: Facts and figuresShow all 79 1 /79General election: Facts and figures General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 opinion polls
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Estimated declaration time
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures 'Big beasts' at risk
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Smallest majorities at 2017 general election
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Turnout at UK general elections
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 poll of polls
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Vote shares at general elections since 1945
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in North-west England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Women MPs at UK general elections
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 leaders' visits - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Boris Johnson's campaign visits so far
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Jeremy Corbyn's campaign visits so far
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Pound v dollar
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 opinion polls in Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in London
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in Eastern England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 leaders' visits so far
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in south-east England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 leaders' visits
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Historic Labour seats at risk
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (one week to go) v election result 2017
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 polls in Scotland
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (one week to go) v election result 2015
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in West Midlands
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Bellwether seats
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Conservative top targets
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 polls in London
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Leaders' approval ratings, July-December
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in Yorkshire
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 timetable
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Labour top targets
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in north-east England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures When parliamentary seats last changed hands
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in the East Midlands
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Seats to watch in south-west England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Planned increase in day-to-day departmental spending
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Corporation tax rates
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (two weeks to go) v election result 2017
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (two weeks to go) v election result 2015
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Applications to register to vote
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures How many women MPs could there be after the election?
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 opinion polls in Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures A comparison of the length of the manifestos of the main parties
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Mentions of key words in the main party manifestos
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Mentions of key words in the main party manifestos
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Leaders' approval ratings, July-November
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Council houses built in the UK 1951-2018
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Council houses built in the UK
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (three weeks to go) v election result 2015
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls (three weeks to go) v election result 2017
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures General election 2019 target seats
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Lib Dem targets
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures SNP targets
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Plaid Cymru targets
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Prime ministers with shortest time in office
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Applications to register to vote
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Major toll roads & bridges in Great Britain
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Police workforce in England and Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Police officers in England and Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Police-recorded homicides in England and Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Knife crime offences recorded by police in England and Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Opinion polls in 2019
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Number of candidates per seat
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Candidates standing in the 2019 General Election
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Candidates at UK general elections since 1979
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Women candidates at the 2019 General Election
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Prime ministers with smallest constituency majorities to defend
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Cost of administering polls since 2010
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures People's Vote group priority list of recommended candidates in key target seats
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures MPs retiring from the House of Commons at general elections
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Lib Dems/Plaid Cymru/Green pact in Wales
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Lib Dems/Green pact in England, seats where Greens have stood down in favour of Lib Dems
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Lib Dems/Green pact in England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Nationality of NHS workforce in England
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Proportion of NHS workforce in England who are not UK nationals
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Long-term net migration to the UK
Press Association Images
General election: Facts and figures Shortest parliamentary sessions since First World War
Press Association Images
Asked who performed best in Tuesday’s debate, they split 59-41 in favour of Mr Corbyn, when ‘don’t knows’ were removed. And when asked how the two leaders had performed individually in the debate, some 71 percent of the undecideds said the Labour leader had done well and 29 per cent badly, compared to a much closer 51 per cent well and 49 per cent badly for the prime minister.
Mr Corbyn was seen as more trustworthy, more likeable and more in touch with ordinary people by undecided voters than by the electorate as a whole, and also closed Mr Johnson’s advantage on looking prime ministerial from 27 points overall to 21 points among swing voters.
The Labour leader’s narrow 49-44 advantage over Mr Johnson on the NHS among voters overall swelled to an overwhelming 66-25 among undecided voters, while he cut the PM’s lead on Brexit and government spending.
Among a third, very small, group of voters who said they were not sure whether or not they had decided who to support, Mr Corbyn led by a dominant 74-26 over Mr Johnson.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies