More than 7.3 million viewers watched the first debate ahead of the 2015 General Election between all seven main party leaders.
And analysis carried out by the University of Leeds found all the debates influenced first-time voters, younger voters and those who claimed they were not interested in politics.
Dr Ruth Fox, director and head of research at the Hansard Society, said: "At a time of increasing public dissatisfaction with our democracy, any initiative that engages the public in the electoral process, particularly those who are generally not very interested in politics, should be carefully nurtured.
"This excellent report demonstrates the civic value of the debates.
"We need to build on this by ensuring they are a permanent feature of elections and referendum campaigns in the future.
"The party leaders and broadcasters shouldn't be haggling over whether, when and how to take part."
Researchers questioned 10,000 people about what they wanted from the debates.
More than half of those who said they were "not very" or "not at all" interested in politics said they planned to watch that first debate.
The same group showed a marked increase in expectations about whether the debates would meet their needs between pre-debate and post-election surveys.
After the election - 45% of people surveyed said the televised debates helped them understand party policies.
That was just slightly less useful than television news, which 51% said was helpful.
Young people were found to have used social media to discuss the programmes with 45% of 18 to 24 year olds going online during the first debate, compared with 11% of over-55s.
Professor Stephen Coleman, who led the research team, said: "At the next general election, the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties - and maybe others - will each be led by different leaders from those who participated in the 2015 debates.
"They should nail their colours to the mast and commit to TV debates as soon as possible. Early negotiation about arrangements for 2020 can then begin.
"Debates should become part of the fabric of major political events."
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