David Cameron is viewed as tougher, smarter and more eloquent than Ed Miliband, but the Labour leader is seen as more likely to protect jobs and understand the lives of ordinary people, according to a poll published on Wednesday.
The Ipsos/Mori survey for the Evening Standard showed that 54% of those asked thought Cameron was “tough enough for the job of prime minister” compared to just 18% who thought the same of Miliband.
The prime minister was also seen as "smart enough" to lead the country by 54% compared to just 22% who said the Labour leader was.
And while 59% of those asked thought Cameron was an "eloquent", only 15% thought Miliband was an impressive speaker.
The poll also showed that 34% of people thought Cameron would be "fun" to meet in person compared to 21% who wanted to meet Miliband. However sadly for the two men 38% thought neither of them would be that much of a hoot.
Despite those poor personal ratings for Miliband, the Labour leader beat Cameron on whether he understood the needs of those surveyed by 36% to 26%.
The Labour leader also beat Cameron by 37% to 34% on which of the two would protect British jobs.
On the eve of the party conference season the poll showed Labour maintaining an 11% lead over the Tories. The Ipsos/Mori survey put Labour on 41%, the Tories on 30% with the Lib Dems on 13%.
Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos/Mori, said the findings displayed something of a "political paradox".
"Labour has kept up an eleven point lead over the Conservatives – their average lead since May – but when asked to compare David Cameron and Ed Miliband, the public puts the prime minister on top," he said.
"And with the Liberal Democrats the first to hold their conference, Nick Clegg suffers his worst ever approval rating."
The polling firm had bad news for Nick Clegg, finding that 51% of his own supporters think he is doing a bad job as Lib Dem leader.