Help

This site lets you weigh in on a real public budget. The numbers you see are the actual amounts the organization running this engagement is working with.

How it works

You'll see a list of budget items. Some ask you to pick one option from a set of real choices; others let you nudge an amount up or down. As you decide, the running balance at the bottom of the screen updates so you can always see the effect of your choices.

Some engagements start with a short warm-up: a question or two about you (always optional), and a quick first take on a few headline decisions before you see the full budget.

Making your choices

• Tap or click an item to open it. You'll see what the item covers, what each option costs or saves, and what the consequences are.
• You can change any answer before you submit — reopen the item and pick again.
• The Done button unlocks once you've decided the required items. If it isn't lit yet, it shows a checklist of what's left.

Submitting

When you press Done, you may get a few optional wrap-up questions. Then your choices are recorded and you'll see your results: how your budget compares, and what happens next. You can go back and edit your budget after submitting — re-submitting updates your original answers rather than counting you twice.

What is recorded

When you submit, this site records your budget choices, your answers to any survey questions, and roughly how long you spent. You are never asked to create an account, and demographic questions are always optional.

Whether you are anonymous

By default, yes: nothing recorded with your answers identifies you.

Some engagements end with an optional question offering to stay in touch. It asks permission first — you only see fields for your name and email after you tick a box, and ignoring it changes nothing about taking part. If you do tick one:

• Your details are stored separately from your answers, on the organizer's contact list — not against your responses.
• Ticking a box to receive updates puts you on that list and nothing more. Your answers stay anonymous.
• Ticking a box agreeing to be contacted about your input is the one case where your name and email can be seen next to your own answers, by the staff running the engagement. That is the point of the box, and it is never ticked for you.

You can ask the organization running the engagement to show you what it holds about you, or to delete it — their contact details are in the About panel.

How it is used

Your answers are combined with everyone else's into aggregate results for the organization running this engagement: counts and percentages like "62% of participants chose to expand this program." Reports describe what participants did as a group, not what any individual chose.

One submission per person

Each browser session counts once. If you submit again from the same browser, your earlier answers are updated rather than counted twice.

Questions

See this site's privacy page (linked in the footer) for the full data-use statement, or contact the organization running this engagement using the contact details in the About panel.

Can I change my answers?

Yes — before you submit, reopen any item and pick again. After submitting, use the back-to-budget link on your results page; re-submitting updates your original answers.

Do I have to answer the personal questions?

No. Questions about things like age or income are always optional, and skipping them never blocks you from participating. They help the organization understand who took part, in aggregate only.

Why does the site ask about my income?

Some engagements can show you your personal share — an estimate of what you contribute through taxes and what each budget choice would mean for you. The estimate is calculated in your browser from the figures you enter. You can always skip it.

Are the numbers real?

Yes. The budget amounts come from the organization running this engagement. The About panel on each tool describes the sources and methodology.

Who sees the results?

The organization running this engagement sees aggregate results — group-level counts and percentages. Some engagements also publish a public results page showing the same aggregates.

This site aims to conform with WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

What that means in practice

• Everything works with a keyboard: Tab moves between controls, Enter or Space activates them, and Escape closes any pop-up panel.
• Screen readers announce balance changes, validation messages, and step changes as they happen.
• Charts and progress bars carry text descriptions of what they show.
• The site honors your reduced-motion preference — animations are disabled when your system asks for that.

If something doesn't work for you

See the accessibility statement linked in the footer for contact details. Reports of barriers are genuinely welcome — they get fixed.