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Guide: Polis for Participants

How does Polis work?

  • You get a link to a Polis poll on a particular topic which includes a number of statements for you to read and react to.
  • You can Agree, Disagree, or Pass / Unsure on each statement.
  • You can then suggest new statements, and then everyone can vote on those too.
  • You won't be able to vote on your own statement.

Polis uses maths (algorithms) to see where people agree and disagree on issues. It groups people into clusters based on how they vote and not who they are. This helps set priorities fairly. If there are demographic statements, these help cluster groups based on specific characteristics, e.g. age, location, gender etc. Read the XR Polis privacy info here.

The most powerful part: Polis highlights statements that different groups agree on, and where they disagree. Learning where people's opinions align, allows for fairer and more acceptable decision making. More info the history and use of Polis here.

Adding Your Own Statements

This is your chance to contribute new ideas to the poll for everyone else to vote on. Use clear and concise wording, limited to 140 characters. Your statement shouldn't be a question that requires anything more than a simple response! Remember, people will be replying with 'Agree', 'Disagree' or 'Pass / Unsure'.

What Happens Next

  • Polis collects your anonymous responses and then analyses the results.
  • The most popular ideas will become obvious.
  • The poll results are then downloaded as reports to be shared on the Rebel Toolkit.

How Polis Respects Your Privacy

  • There is no registration process.
  • It is anonymous.
  • Your responses to demographic questions help identify which groups vote in particular ways; this helps with fairer decision-making.
  • Your computer has its own address - known as the IP address; this information is deleted from our XR servers after 5 days. (We have to keep that information for this short time in order to protect us all from spammers, etc.)
  • If there are too few participants, demographic questions could identify you. These will be deleted if there is any risk of breaking anonymity. (Demographic questions may include e.g. age, gender, location)
  • Read XRUK's full privacy policy.

Moderation

There are trained dedicated Moderators for every Polis poll. They help keep the poll simple and ensure protection of privacy.

Sometimes participants add statements that have two options, in which case Moderators will reword this into two statements, both of which can be voted on. There may be repetition of ideas; Moderators will reject those statements that are too similar.

To view rejected statements and reasons why they've been rejected by Moderators, join the Polis Support broadcast on Telegram app.

If you have any questions or need support - contact the UK Assemblies Team

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