Generation Gap in the Jury Box

This month's issue of Law Practice Management features a wonderful article by Dr. Karen Lisko of Persuasion Strategies, outlining the differences between Gen X and Gen Y in regards to how they behave on juries:

"Generation X Jurors tend to:

• Want more data and the source behind it but presented in a concise, technological (screen-view) way
• Focus on the pragmatic and how a case relates to their own lives
• Be fairly entrepreneurial and impressed with parties who take ethical risks in business
• Hearken back to many traditional values that we typically correlate with older jurors, in particular with a focus on “personal responsibility” and “self-reliance”
• Want the “bottom line” on conclusions the experts draw

  Generation Y jurors tend to:

• Want even more presented technologically than do the technologically savvy Generation X jurors
• Be the best-educated generation of all time, with an ability to think more analytically about case facts as a result
• Be more interested in teamwork and “getting along” in the deliberation room
• Be more interested in 9-to-5 jobs with a reliable employer, giving them respect for parties who follow through on their commitments
• Feel less suspicious than other generations do toward the government, indicating an opportunity to impress them with a party's ability or inability to meet governmental or industry standards."