Barack Obama won the second presidential debate but may not be enough to propel him ahead of Mitt Romney

President Barack Obama came out swinging in the second debate with Mitt Romney, according to the latest polls, although who actually won was open to interpretation.

According to a national survey, 46% of those watching the town hall on Tuesday night believed that Barack Obama had won – while 39% sided with Mitt Romney.

In the second of their three debates, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney attacked each other viciously at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

The figures gathered by CNN/ORC showed that the majority believed Barack Obama’s performance was superior (73%) compared to 37% who held the opinion about Mitt Romney.

The poll is a dramatic turn of events for the candidates face-off on October 3 in Denver when 67% of registered voters said the debate was won by Mitt Romney and only 25% opting for Barack Obama.

When it came to the most likeable, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney 47-41%.

However, on big issues such as the economy, Mitt Romney soared ahead with an 18-point lead on the President.

Almost half of viewers (49%) believed that Barack Obama was more on the offensive than his opponent (35%). However, Mitt Romney had the edge on who was the stronger leader at 49-46%.

Some 457 registered voters were interviewed by CNN on Tuesday night after the end of the 90-minute showdown. Of those interview, 33% were Republicans and the same percentage Democrats.

In another poll by CBS, 37% of those surveyed said Barack Obama won with Mitt Romney trailing at 30%. A third (33%) said the debate was a tie.