I agree.
When I was called for jury pool I remember listening to the case descriptions and the list of witnesses. Often times, from the list of witnesses I knew the outcome of the case already, e.g., a wife battering case where the witnesses were the ambulance crew and the emergency room staff.
Potential jurors are asked if they know any witnesses, if they would have preconceptions, if they were related to law enforcement personnel, if they have had experiences that would create impartiality in the current case, etc.
The defense attorneys pick up on those sentiments. I felt you had to either lie, be a poor listener, be emotionally unattached to the world in general, or, as you say, have an agenda to be picked at all.