Gen X Vs. Gen Y Jurors

The June issue of Law Practice has an interesting article about the difference between Gen X and Gen Y jurors. In The Newer Generations in the Jury Box: Who Will Favor Your Cause? the author contends that:
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

As a Gen Xer, I can say that these observations are pretty much right on – except for being impressed with parties who take ethical risks in business. Maybe it would depend on the particulars, but in general, I don’t think that messing around with ethics is a good thing.
I can absolutely identify with the “personal responsibility” and “self-reliance” values. Probably comes from being a latch-key kid. I would also want to see hard data along with the source behind it, particularly if it is presented in a concise, technological way. And as a Gen Xer, I can definitely appreciate getting the “bottom line.”