Thimblebug6000, jury duty pay is nowhere near even minimum wage for the hours spent there, and many working people then lose the wages they could have made by going to work. Some employers pay full wages for jury duty as a fringe benefit, but most don't.
Quiltncrazy, interesting questions.
I never served on a jury, though I got a summons just as I graduated college. In fact, I'd moved halfway across the country by the time it was forwarded to me. Happily, they didn't require me to go back, though at the time I would have been interested to see what it was like.
I wouldn't want to now. I'd keep an open mind, but I'm too gullible. I know people lie or skew things on the witness stand, and I'd believe everyone. I'd hate to be wrong about someone's guilt or innocence.
I think some people try to be on a jury and others try not to be selected. For someone who will be forced to lose work wages, it's a hardship, so I think lots of people try not to be selected.