Trial Methods set out to take the pulse of the public by questioning jury-eligible people across the country about their attitudes pertaining to litigation in 2017. Respondents were from geographically, politically and demographically diverse regions and asked a series of questions online. The results of the survey follow:
LAWSUITS VS. CORPORATIONS
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| Plaintiffs often exaggerate their claims in order to increase damage awards | 74% |
| Making corporations pay big jury awards is the best way to make them follow the law | 69% |
| If a case makes it to trial it is likely there is some truth to the plaintiff’s claims | 59% |
| It would be difficult for me to deliver a jury verdict that meant an injured party would receive no money | 53% |
| If you heard about allegations of corporate misconduct which would you be most likely to believe? | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| The corporation did something wrong | 59% |
| Someone is trying to get some easy money | 41% |
| Generally do you think individuals who file lawsuits are: | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| Trying to place responsibility where it belongs | 64% |
| Refusing to take responsibility for their actions | 36% |
| Do you agree or disagree with the idea of awarding punitive damages? | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| Strongly agree | 29% |
| Tend to agree | 57% |
| Tend to disagree | 14% |
| Strongly disagree | 0% |
CORPORATION VS. CORPORATION
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| Companies frequently sue other companies for bad business deals | 73% |
| A company will break a contract if it thinks it can get away with it | 72% |
CORPORATE ETHICS
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| Corporations are more unethical today than they were 5 years ago | 58% |
| Juries should punish corporations for unethical conduct even if that conduct was legal | 45% |
EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| We need to strengthen laws against employer discrimination in this country | 66% |
| How common is race discrimination on the job in the U.S.? | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| Very common | 17% |
| Common | 48% |
| Uncommon | 32% |
| Very uncommon | 3% |
| How common is gender discrimination on the job in the U.S.? | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| Very common | 21% |
| Common | 44% |
| Uncommon | 29% |
| Very uncommon | 6% |
INSURANCE
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| Insurance companies will do anything they can to avoid paying claims to their policy holders | 72% |
POLICE
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| Recent media coverage of police shootings has been slanted against the police | 71% |
| Police officers think they are above the law | 48% |
| It is common for a police officer to use excessive force | 43% |
| I worry about my loved ones being injured by a police officer | 28% |
VISUALS
| Percent Agree | |
|---|---|
| If I served as a juror I would hope for visuals to accompany the arguments | 82% |
| If I served as a juror I would expect visuals to accompany the arguments | 75% |
| When learning about a new concept how important are visuals? | Percent Agree |
|---|---|
| Very important | 64% |
| Somewhat important | 35% |
| Not at all important | 1% |
