WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (AFP) - The US presidential debates may sway the vote of one in four Americans, according to a poll released Friday giving President George W. Bush an eight-point lead over Democratic rival John Kerry six days before their first televised face-off.
The CBS television poll gives the Republican president a 49 to 41 percent edge over the Massachusetts senator among registered voters, while independent candidate Ralph Nader gets two percent of support.
The survey shows that 27 percent of Americans believe the three televised election debates could influence their votes, while 70 percent say the face-offs would not change their minds ahead of the November 2 election.
CBS surveyed 1,083 people between September 20-22. The poll has a three-percentage-point margin of error.
In the 2000 election, 24 percent of people who were polled said the debates would matter.
The candidates are scheduled to meet Thursday at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida to square off on foreign policy and homeland security.
They will meet on October 8 at Washington University in the midwestern city of St. Louis, Missouri, to discuss all topics, and hold a final encounter on domestic and economic issues on October 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
According to the CBS poll, 61 percent of voters believe Kerry has spent most of his campaign attacking Bush rather than explaining his proposals.
Conversely, 48 percent of voters say Bush has spent of his time explaining his platform, while 44 percent say he has mostly been attacking Kerry.