A national poll conducted by DRI revealed a surprising bias against insurance companies in the courtroom. Hypothetically, as jurors for a case involving an individual and an insurance company, 59 percent of respondents said they would favor the individual.

Only 20 percent of respondents would approach their responsibilities as jurors without initially favoring either party, despite responsibilities as a juror to remain objective. Other poll findings include a large divide between liberal and conservative responses: only 50 percent of conservative respondents would favor the individual as opposed to 73 percent of liberals.

Age seemed to play a role in bias. DRI reported that 71 percent of respondents ages 18 to 29 would be inclined to believe an individual over an insurance company; adults over age 30 did not have such a dramatic bias. Gender of the respondents did not have any noticeable effect on their answers.

The demographic most likely to favor insurance companies—and the only subset in which fewer than half of respondents would be biased in favor of the individual—is college grads with an income of more than $100,000.

Special Reports /

IQ: Most Jurors Biased Against Insurers

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