US election: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 7 points, says poll

​Washington: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is ahead of Republican rival Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in the latest Fox News national poll.

Forty-five per cent of likely voters surveyed by Fox said they supported Clinton, the Democratic nominee for President, while 38 per cent said they intend to vote for Trump, according to the poll which was conducted after Sunday's second debate issued on Thursday.

In a one-on-one race, Clinton is leading Trump 49 per cent to 41.

The survey signalled a drop in support for Trump and a slight increase for Clinton, who is emerging as the clear favourite to win the presidency.

A previous Fox News poll, conducted from October 3 to 6, showed a slight lead for Clinton, with 44 per cent of voters polled supporting her and 42 per cent backing Trump.

According to the poll, likely voters remained deeply sceptical of Trump's qualifications to be president.

More than half - 56 per cent - said he was "not at all" or "not very" qualified for the job. Seventy-seven per cent said he was not a good role model for children.

Trump's favourability ratings declined, too, while Clinton's went up, though both candidates were in the negatives.

Trump is now viewed unfavourably by 61 per cent of surveyed voters, compared with 38 per cent who have a positive opinion of him, for a net of negative 23.

Clinton is at negative 5 overall, with 52 per cent of surveyed voters reporting having a negative view of her and 47 per cent saying they viewed her favourably.

Trump's drop proved true for Republican voters, too. Only 73 per cent said they viewed him favourably, compared with 84 per cent in the last poll.

A majority of voters, according to Fox, think Trump is headed for defeat in November: 65 per cent predicted a Clinton presidency.