Obama leads McCain: Poll

While McCain leads Obama among white women, 44 per cent to 37 per cent, among other groups, Obama had a slight edge among independents, and a 16-percentage-point lead among voters aged 18 to 44.

Meanwhile, McCain was also leading by 17 points among white men and by the same margin among voters 65 and over, the survey revealed.

It also showed that while before the convention, voters 65 and older were closely divided, after it, middle-age voters, 45 to 64, were almost evenly divided between the two.

On selection of the vice-presidential candidate, 75 per cent said they thought McCain had picked Palin more to help him win the election than because he thought that she was well qualified to be president. By contrast, 31 per cent said they thought that Obama had picked Biden more to help him win the election, while 57 per cent said it was because Biden was well qualified for the job.

During the poll, more than 6 in 10 said they would be concerned if McCain could not finish his term and Palin had to take over. In contrast, two-third of voters surveyed said Biden would be qualified to take over for Obama, a figure that cut across party lines.