If it's in the News, it's in our Polls. Public opinion polling since 2003.

LIFESTYLE

Benghazi Movie Is Much Hotter Ticket for GOPers Than For Democrats

The names Obama and Clinton never appear in “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” but Republicans are still twice as likely as Democrats to have the new movie on their viewing list. The film details the on-the-ground circumstances surrounding the murder of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya on September 11-12, 2012, while Hillary Clinton was secretary of State.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 34% of all American Adults have seen or are likely to see “13 Hours.” Forty-four percent (44%) do not intend to see the film, but a sizable 22% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

By comparison, 43% said they were likely to see the new “Star Wars” film just before it opened, with 26% who were Very Likely to do so.

But a closer look at the latest findings show that while 45% of Republicans have seen or are likely to see the Benghazi movie, just 23% of Democrats say the same. Among those not affiliated with either major political party, 34% have seen or are likely to see the new film.

Democrats worry that the movie may hurt Clinton’s run for the presidency. Just over half (52%) of all likely voters say Clinton not been honest in her disclosures and testimony related to the attack in Benghazi.

Voters are more convinced than ever that the Benghazi incident will hurt Clinton's bid for the White House, but they're almost evenly divided over whether the ongoing congressional investigation of the matter is aimed at the truth or is just politically motivated.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 20-21, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Just five percent (5%) of Americans say they rarely or never watch a movie. Fifty-four percent (54%) watch at least one movie a week, including 14% who watch one every day or nearly every day.

Roughly 40% of those who see at least one movie a week have seen or are likely to see “13 Hours.”

Men are more likely to see the film than women are. Over half of voters under 40 have not seen and are not likely to go see “13 Hours.”

Blacks are far more likely than whites and other minority adults to say they will not see the film.

Women, younger adults and blacks are Clinton’s chief voting base.

One of the controversies surrounding the Benghazi incident is the Obama administration’s initial claim that it was not a terrorist attack but was a protest caused by the posting of an anti-Islamic video on YouTube. Voters have long viewed the killings of the four Americans as a terrorist act, and the administration has since backed away from the YouTube claim.

In recent months, much of the public debate surrounding the Benghazi investigation has focused on the discovery of Clinton’s use of a private, non-government email server while she was secretary of State. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of voters think it’s likely Clinton broke the law by sending and receiving e-mails containing classified information through this private e-mail server.

A former federal prosecutor made headlines earlier this month with his prediction that Clinton will be indicted soon for trafficking in classified information on a private e-mail server, but only 40% of Democrats think a political candidate who is charged with a felony while running for office should immediately stop campaigning. Fifty-three percent (53%) say that candidate should keep running until a court determines his or her guilt or innocence.

Rasmussen Reports’ most recent monthly Hillary Meter – released on January 18 - finds that 83% of Likely Democratic Voters think Clinton is likely to be their party’s presidential nominee in 2016. But this includes only 43% who say it’s Very Likely, the first time this figure has fallen below 50%.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on January 20-21, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.

We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.

Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.

To learn more about our methodology, click here.