For example, when asked whether Bernie Sanders "cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not," 61 percent of respondents said Yes. (Photo: Reuters)

A day after a poll showed Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to be in a dead heat nationwide, survey responses revealed that U.S. voters back Sanders over Republican candidates by margins of 4 to 10 percentage points in head-to-head presidential contests.

On the other hand, the found that Clinton merely ties—or in some cases, trails—leading Republicans in the November 2016 election.

When matched against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, Sanders comes out on top, 48 to 42 percent. Clinton's margin against Trump is a much slimmer 44-43 percent.

Quinnipiac University national poll

"It's certainly Sen. Bernie Sanders' moment," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "The Vermont firebrand leads all potential GOP rivals in raw numbers and raw emotion with the best scores for favorability and several key character traits."

For example, when asked whether Sanders "cares about the needs and problems of people like you or not," 61 percent of respondents said Yes. When asked the same question about Clinton, only 42 percent of respondents gave an affirmative answer.