Method
How results are worked out
Version 0.4 · Last updated 7 November 2026 · Follows Bilcor Group policies v0.6 · Draft for legal review
This page sets out exactly how votes are counted on Common Ground UK, when a result is shown, and what a result can and cannot tell you. The most important point first: results come from people who chose to take part. They are not a scientific poll and should never be described as one.
1. One say per question, equal weight
Every question uses the same five answers: Strongly agree, Agree, No strong view, Disagree, Strongly disagree. Every answer is shown with equal size and prominence.
Before your first answer we ask you to confirm you are 16 or over and give explicit consent. Each browser gets one say on each question. If you are signed in, it is one say per account. This is enforced by the database, so a second vote from the same browser or account is refused.
Every vote counts the same. We do not weight votes, adjust them to match the population, or remove any from the count.
2. How we check people are real (and the limits)
You can vote without an account, so we cannot prove that every browser is a different person. Someone determined could vote again by clearing their browser or using another device. We reduce this in three ways:
- A limit on how many votes one browser or account can cast in 24 hours
- A much higher limit on votes from one internet connection, to stop automated flooding (we keep only a scrambled version of the address, deleted after 48 hours)
- An automatic check for sudden bursts of votes on one question in a short window
Signing in, or saving your votes with an email address, ties your votes to one account, which is the strongest check we offer. We say this plainly because it is a real limit of the method.
3. When a result is shown
| What | Minimum before it is shown |
|---|---|
| The live result on a question’s own page | Shown from the first vote, always with the number of votes beside it |
| Results we highlight or quote ourselves: trending lists, league tables, share images and social media posts | 5 votes |
| Breakdowns by group (age, region, past vote and so on) | 10 people in a group for subscriber data, 15 for the public cross-party view. Smaller groups are never shown, so no one can be identified |
| An Accountability Gap record | 100 votes and 48 hours of voting |
Every result shows how many people voted, so you can judge for yourself how much weight it can bear.
4. How percentages are calculated
The agree figure is Strongly agree plus Agree, as a share of everyone who voted, including No strong view. The disagree figure is worked out the same way. The full five-answer breakdown is published for every question.
5. The Accountability Gap
Where Parliament has held a recorded vote (a division) on the same issue, we show the public result beside it. The Accountability Gap is the difference, in percentage points, between the public agree figure and the share of MPs who voted in favour.
Every parliamentary comparison is taken from Hansard or the official Parliament data services. The actual text that MPs voted on is stored with the question and linked, so anyone can check the match. Questions are never written from a bill’s title alone.
A gap is recorded once the question has 100 votes and has been open for 48 hours, so a quick burst of organised voting cannot set the record on its own.
If our automatic check sees an unusual burst of votes, the result is still published straight away, exactly as counted, with a dated note beside it explaining what was spotted. A person then reviews the pattern and adds a second note with what they found. Results are never held back, and votes are never changed or deleted.
Gaps under 15 points are shown as broadly aligned, 15 to 30 points as a meaningful difference, and over 30 points as a significant difference.
6. Published results are permanent
Once a question closes it stops taking votes and its result becomes part of the permanent record. A closed question can never be reopened. If a topic needs asking again, it is published as a new question, linked to the old one, so both results stand.
Published results cannot be edited, deleted or replaced. If we find an error, we publish a dated correction note beside the original record, which stays exactly as it was. Notes themselves can never be edited or removed, so you can always see what was first published, what was corrected, and when.
7. Where questions come from
Questions come from parliamentary votes, official petitions, news reports, gaps in our policy coverage, and public suggestions through the Open Floor. Each question shows its source. Questions written to fill a gap in coverage are labelled as such rather than given an invented source.
If an organisation asked for a question, the question says so and names the organisation. It still goes through the same neutrality review, and its results are published in full. See Rules for paid and requested questions.
8. Neutrality
Questions are written in plain English, never lead towards an answer, and never offer a false either-or choice. Common Ground UK never supports or opposes any party, candidate or cause. These rules come from the Bilcor Group Neutrality and Editorial Policy, which every Bilcor platform follows. If you think a question falls short, tell us at challenge@commongrounduk.uk.