Skip to main content

Making Disagreement Useful Again

Democracy works better when we understand each other. Vote on the questions defining our era — then see where people genuinely agree, where they divide, and which ideas can bridge the gap and inform better decisions.

Take the Big Questions Journey Read Today's Brief

Browse freely without an account. Sign up free or sign in to save your Big Questions progress, votes, and personalised recap. · Trusted by individuals, organisations and governments globally

Discussion visualisation showing opinion clusters and consensus
140+ news sources curated 4,500+ discussions Global community No ads · No tracking Open source
Guided civic journey

What do you actually believe?

8 themes. At least 56 policy statements to start — more added as participants contribute. Vote on the issues that define our era, then see where humanity agrees, where it divides, and what might bridge the gap.

8
Big themes
56+
Statements
11
Editions
Global edition
Global — Start the journey

Not the right edition? Choose yours below.

Or choose an edition

  • Climate & planet
  • AI & technology
  • Economy & work
  • Health & care
  • War & security
  • Democracy
  • Society
  • Education
What voting reveals

We group people by how they vote, not who they are

Our machine learning finds patterns across thousands of votes — surfacing three kinds of insight you won't find anywhere else.

Consensus
Where society broadly agrees
"Access to reliable, unbiased news is essential for a functioning democracy."
Agreement across all groups 84%

This statement was agreed by participants across all political clusters.

Bridge Idea
Unites opposing groups
"Politicians of all parties have failed to honestly explain the trade-offs of their policies to voters."
Left cluster
76%
agree
Right cluster
79%
agree

Bridge ideas resonate strongly across groups that otherwise disagree — rare common ground.

Genuine Division
A real fault line worth addressing
"The state should guarantee a minimum income for every citizen, regardless of employment status."
62% agree 38% disagree

Genuine divisions show where deeper democratic deliberation is needed — not just counting votes.

Examples from real discussions on this platform. Your vote changes what society sees. Explore all discussions →

How it works

Three steps. Takes under five minutes to start.

1

Join a discussion or journey

Browse discussions on news topics, or take the Big Questions Journey — at least 56 statements across 8 themes, growing as participants contribute their own.

2

Vote on statements

Agree, Disagree, or Unsure on each statement. Add your reasoning if you want. Respectful by design — and anonymous if you prefer.

3

Discover insights — and share them

See consensus, bridge ideas and genuine divisions. Then share the results with the communities, organisations, or policymakers who need to hear them.

Two ways to stay informed daily

One for your opinions on the world. One for the world explained to you.

2 minutes a day

The Daily Question

One carefully chosen question every day. Vote, share your reasoning, then see how others responded. Over time, this creates a longitudinal view of how public opinion evolves.

Today's question

"International cooperation is essential in responding to missile attacks. Countries should work together to enhance missile defense systems and intelligence sharing to better protect civilians and prevent future attacks."

Answer Today's Question Get by Email

5 questions weekly by default · Adjust frequency anytime

The news you need. Zero noise.

The Daily Brief

3–5 stories daily, vetted for civic impact, analysed for partisan spin, and explained in plain language. Multi-source coverage with left/centre/right breakdown. No ads. No outrage.

Today's brief 19 Apr 2026
Lead Story 13 sources

Starmer Faces Pressure Over Mandelson Vetting Scandal

Why this matters

For UK citizens: this scandal undermines trust in government appointments. Globally: it raises concerns about diplomatic integrity and security protocols.

Policy & Governance 6 sources

Bulgaria Votes in Eighth Election Amid Political Crisis

Policy & Governance 3 sources

US and Indonesia Forge Major Defence Cooperation Agreement

Economy & Business 6 sources

IMF and World Bank Resume Relations with Venezuela

Society & Culture 1 sources

UK Parliament Reviews Vaccine Damage Compensation Framework

Read full brief

Read Today's Brief Get by Email

Free to read · 140+ sources across the spectrum →

We draw from 140+ trusted sources across the spectrum

News, analysis, think tanks, and podcasts—curated for quality journalism

Left & Centre-Left
The Guardian The New Yorker The Atlantic The Intercept ProPublica New Statesman Slow Boring Brookings The News Agents
Centre
BBC News Financial Times The Economist Bloomberg Axios Lawfare MIT Tech Review Al Jazeera SCMP Semafor The Rest Is Politics Acquired
Centre-Right & Right
The Dispatch Reason The Spectator National Review The Free Press City Journal Cato Institute First Things All-In Podcast Triggernometry

News/Analysis Podcast Bias ratings from AllSides | See all 140+ sources

Voices that inspired this

"The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race — those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it."
Portrait of John Stuart Mill, philosopher and author of On Liberty
John Stuart Mill

Philosopher, On Liberty, 1859

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Portrait of Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist
Margaret Mead

Cultural Anthropologist

Join the conversation

Real discussions happening right now.

News discussions See all discussions
Healthcare Featured

How should we improve the NHS?

Give specific details of what could be done and how? Give examples of what is not working with proposed solutions. How could we leverage technology whilst also ensuring privacy?

United Kingdom
Join Discussion
Geopolitics

How should countries approach negotiations to reduce tensions in the Middle East?

Israel struck new targets across Iran on Thursday, after Tehran rejected US overtures to wind down the nearly four-week Middle East war and vowed to keep up its "resistance". Hopes for a negotiated end to the US-Israeli war with Iran -- which has mushroomed to engulf much of the Middle East -- rose after the United States was said to have put a 15-point peace plan to Tehran

United States
Join Discussion

Have a question society should answer?

Start a discussion and see where people actually stand — or run a structured programme for your community.

Start a Discussion Browse Programmes
Fund the mission

Everything is free. It stays that way because of our subscribers.

A Personal Brief subscription funds our open source civic platform — and gives you a custom daily digest from your own sources in return.

Choose your own sources — RSS, Substack, PDFs

AI synthesis from multiple sources, on your schedule

Your subscription directly funds free civic participation for all

Start 30-Day Free Trial

From £4.99/month · No credit card required to trial

For organisations

Publisher, NGO, government, or researcher?

Society Speaks powers structured deliberation, citizen consultation, and civic journalism for organisations across the globe. Embed discussions, commission programmes, and connect your audience to what they actually believe.

See how it works