Poll: 47 percent of registered voters say Obama won third debate

A plurality of registered voters said President Obama did better than Mitt Romney in the third and final presidential debate, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll, taken a day after the debate, found 47 percent of registered voters said Obama won the debate, while 31 percent said Romney won. But the poll found that, despite Obama's perceived victory, favorability for both candidates did not change.

Voters' views on specific subjects like foreign policy and the economy did not change either even though the third debate at times drifted away from foreign policy and to other areas such as the auto bailout and the economy. 

In contrast, multiple surveys showed shifting sentiments following the first presidential debate in early October. Those polls found a dramatic shift from a comfortable lead by Obama to an increasing national advantage for Romney.

Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said that the most recent debate likely won't move the polls dramatically.

"By this point in the election cycle a lot of people have formed a more complete view of each candidate," Clark said.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online Tuesday among 515 registered voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

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