Legal Research

"Generation Y (aka the Millennials): Just the Facts"

This post was written by Douglas Keene: "Members of Generation Y (as with other generations before them) have been derided and maligned.  People love to generalize about 'the younger generation', and do it all the time. And it's been going on for centuries....

Those older demean those younger (and the youth are not particularly admiring of their elders). Whether we do this in our personal lives or not, is naturally, a personal choice (and just as naturally, has consequences for our relationships). But in the courtroom and in voir dire, it is wiser to make choices based on what we know to be true of human nature rather than what we assume or choose to believe.

Here is (courtesy of the Pew Research Center) what we know now about Generation Y--the newest members of the jury panel.

• The oldest members are approaching 30 (the youngest are approaching adolescence).
• They are more inclined to trust institutions than either Gen X or Baby Boomers when they were coming of age.
• They are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort of youth in the nation's history: 18.5% are Hispanic; 14.2% are Black; 4.3% are Asian; 3.2% are of mixed race; and 59.8% are White.
• [Click on author's name to view the final 3 points]

All of these factoids have relevance for voir dire, case presentation and witness preparation..."

Full text and the active link are available at the source site listed below.

Source: The Jury Room, 6 January 2010

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on January 07, 2010 (boomark / email).