Public Divided Over Appropriateness of 9/11 Movies

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- One of two movies coming out this year about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks opens in movie theaters across the country this Friday. The first film, United 93, chronicles the tale of those aboard United Airlines flight 93, the hijacked aircraft that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania when the passengers fought back against the hijackers. The second film, directed by Oliver Stone, stars Nicholas Cage as a police officer trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center and is set to arrive in theaters later this year.

According to recent USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted April 7-9, most Americans will not make the trip to a movie theater to watch either of these films. But, this does not necessarily mean they object to the content. Americans are about equally divided as to whether Hollywood should be making films about the terrorist attacks. Younger Americans express the most interest in attending these films, as would be expected given the youth skew in movie attendance in general, and generally support making films about 9/11. The poll finds only minor political differences in views about the 9/11 movies.

Should Hollywood Make Movies About 9/11?

The American public is divided precisely into two groups when asked if it is a good thing or a bad thing for Hollywood to be making movies about the terrorist attacks, with 44% choosing each alternative.

Younger adults are much more likely than those who are older to say it is good to make movies about the September 11th terrorist attacks. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, 60% say it is a good thing for Hollywood to make movies about the attacks. This sentiment drops among those who are older, to 44% among those between the ages of 35 and 64 and even lower, to 21% among those aged 65 and older.

Men (48%) are also slightly more likely than women (40%) to say it is a good thing to make movies about the attacks. The tendency of young adults to be more supportive of 9/11 content in movies is seen among both sexes. As a result, younger men (aged 18 to 49) are the most supportive (53% think it's a good thing to make movies on this subject), followed by younger women (49%), older men (41%), and least of all, older women (29%).

Republicans and Democrats are similarly divided as to whether it is a good thing or a bad thing for Hollywood to make movies about the 9/11 attacks. But, the results do show some modest variation by self-described political ideology. A slim majority of liberals, 52%, and 45% of moderates, but only 39% of conservatives say it is a good thing.

Americans' Interest in Going to See 9/11 Movies

Overall, fewer than 4 in 10 Americans say they are "very" (16%) or "somewhat" (22%) likely to see either of the two films about the terrorist attacks when they come out in theaters. The majority of Americans, 60%, say they are not likely to go see either film, including 41% who say they are "not at all likely."

Gallup periodically asks Americans to estimate the number of movies, if any, that they typically see in a theater each year. A Dec. 5-8, 2005, Gallup Poll found that 33% of Americans did not see any movies in a movie theater, while 42% went to between one and four movies, and 24% went to five or more movies. In short, while about two-thirds of Americans attend at least one movie in an average year, only 38% say it is likely they will attend these particular movies.

Certain groups of Americans, particularly younger adults, men, and nonwhites, are more likely to attend the 9/11 movies in a theater than are other groups.

A majority of 18- to 34-year-olds (58%) say they are at least somewhat likely to go see either of the films about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This percentage is substantially lower among those who are older, at 33% for adults aged 35 to 49, 37% for those aged 50 to 64, and 22% for those aged 65 and older.

It is not surprising that older Americans are less interested in attending these films, because older Americans are typically much less likely to report going to a movie theater in general. In December, 64% of adults aged 65 and older reported that they hadn't attended any movies in the past year. This percentage is much lower among younger Americans, at 41% for adults aged 50 to 64, 26% for those aged 35 to 49, and 14% for those aged 18 to 34.

A slightly higher percentage of men (42%) than women (36%) say they are likely to see either of the movies about 9/11.

Women aged 50 and older, at just 27%, tend to show less interest in attending these movies than do men in this age range (35%) or anyone under age 50 (43% among women aged 18 to 49 and 46% among men aged 18 to 49).

The poll finds essentially no political differences in interest in watching a movie about 9/11. Roughly the same percentage of Republicans (39%), independents (38%), and Democrats (39%) say they are likely to see the film; similar percentages of self-described conservatives (39%), moderates (38%), and liberals (38%) also express interest in viewing the movie.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,004 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 7-9, 2006. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.