No matter their final choice, 43 percent said they would be enthusiastic and 45 percent said they would be satisfied with Clinton as the Democratic nominee. | AP Photo Poll: Clinton holds double-digit lead over Sanders in Iowa The former secretary of state earned 55 percent to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 33 percent.

Hillary Clinton is continuing to hold on to a significant double-digit lead over her closest challenger in Iowa, according to the results of the latest Monmouth University poll surveying likely Democratic caucus-goers, though her advantage has slipped in recent months.

The former secretary of state earned 55 percent to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' 33 percent, compared to 65 percent to 24 percent in the university's last poll conducted in late October. Meanwhile, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley picked up 6 percent this time, statistically unchanged from the 5 percent he received in the last survey.


Vis-à-vis Sanders, Clinton holds a wider advantage among women (61 percent to 27 percent) than men (47 percent to 42 percent). Sanders, however, leads Clinton 48 percent to 38 percent among likely caucus-goers under the age of 50, while Clinton holds a 63 percent-to-26 percent edge among voters over the half-century mark.

No matter their final choice, 43 percent said they would be enthusiastic and 45 percent said they would be satisfied with Clinton as the Democratic nominee, while 30 percent and 45 percent would be the same for Sanders' potential nomination.

More than four in 10 likely caucus-goers—41 percent—said they have already decided on their candidate, while 38 percent said they have a strong preference, 11 percent said they have a slight preference and just 10 percent said they were undecided.

Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa still prioritized economic issues (33 percent) over issues related to education (11 percent), national security (10 percent) and terrorism (7 percent) just days after the San Bernardino, California, attack, while 12 percent called all seven issues listed (also including immigration, social issues and taxes) equally important.

The poll was conducted Dec. 3-6, surveying via landlines and cellphones 405 Iowa voters from a list of registered voters who voted in at least one of the past two primary elections, in both the 2012 and 2014 general elections or who have registered to vote in the past year. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Monmouth's October survey used different methodology, drawing upon past state primary voters only. Among that group exclusively in this latest survey, 57 percent supported Clinton, while 30 percent went for Sanders.