Ipsos Survey: Jury Service and the Legal System

Washington, DC, August 28, 2023 – A new survey conducted by Ipsos shows that Americans are generally not familiar with the legal system. Americans who have served on juries are more likely to be familiar with the legal system and trust in the institution and the people who serve in it is higher among those who have served as jurors. The survey shows that one in ten Americans have served on a jury in the last 10 years and about one in three have been summoned for jury service but did not serve.

About the Study

This Ipsos poll was conducted using the KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a sample of general population Americans and jurors. The poll among jurors consisted of 781 adults 18 years and over who have served on jury for either civil or criminal trials in the last ten years in the United States who were interviewed between July 7-18, 2023. The poll among the general population consisted of 1,017 U.S. residents, age 18 or older who were interviewed between July 7-17, 2023.

The study was conducted in English and Spanish. The data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income and race/ethnicity. The data for the Jurors sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. The demographic benchmarks came from the KnowledgePanel® profile data.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for both general population Americans and jurors at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.3 for all jurors and 1.07 for all general population adults. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.

The survey was conducted using KnowledgePanel®, the largest and most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Our recruitment process employs a scientifically developed addressed-based sampling methodology using the latest Delivery Sequence File of the USPS – a database with full coverage of all delivery points in the US. Households invited to join the panel are randomly selected from all available households in the U.S. Persons in the sampled households are invited to join and participate in the panel. Those selected who do not already have internet access are provided a tablet and internet connection at no cost to the panel member. Those who join the panel and who are selected to participate in a survey are sent a unique password-protected log-in used to complete surveys online. As a result of our recruitment and sampling methodologies, samples from KnowledgePanel® cover all households regardless of their phone or internet status and findings can be reported with a margin of sampling error and projected to the general population.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Chris Jackson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
+1 202 420-2025
[email protected]

Annaleise Lohr
Director, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]

About Ipsos

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people.

Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

Our tagline "Game Changers" sums up our ambition to help our 5,000 customers move confidently through a rapidly changing world.

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and Mid-60 indices and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP