( CNN ) -- A national poll of people who watched the vice presidential debate Thursday night suggests that Democratic Sen. Joe Biden won , but also says Republican Gov . Sarah Palin exceeded expectations . Poll respondents give Sen. Joe Biden the edge over Gov . Sarah Palin in ability to express views . The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. said 51 percent of those polled thought Biden did the best job , while 36 percent thought Palin did the best job . But respondents said the folksy Palin was more likable , scoring 54 percent to Biden 's 36 percent . Seventy percent said Biden was more of a typical politician . Both candidates exceeded expectations -- 84 percent of the people polled said Palin did a better job than they expected , while 64 percent said Biden also exceeded expectations . How Palin would perform had been a major issue for the Alaska governor , who had some well-publicized fumbles during interviews with CBS ' Katie Couric leading up to the debate . Respondents thought Biden was better at expressing his views , giving him 52 percent to Palin 's 36 percent.iReport.com : Tell us who you think did best . On the question of the candidates ' qualifications to assume the presidency , 87 percent of those polled said Biden is qualified and 42 percent said Palin is qualified . The candidates sparred over which team would be the better agent of change , and Biden came out on top of that debate , with 53 percent of those polled giving the nod to the Delaware senator while 42 percent said Palin was more likely to bring change . Respondents overwhelmingly said moderator Gwen Ifill was fair during the vice presidential debate , repudiating critics who said that Ifill , of PBS , would be biased because she is writing a book that includes Biden 's running mate , Sen. Barack Obama . Ninety-five percent of those polled said Ifill was fair . The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points . Obama was selected as a winner over Republican Sen. John McCain in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll on the September 26 presidential debate .
51 percent say Democratic Sen. Joe Biden wins vice presidential debate . Republican Gov . Sarah Palin exceeds expectations , 84 percent say . Palin beats Biden on likability , 54-36 . 87 percent say Biden is qualified for job , 42 percent say Palin is .