DVK asked: What is the threshold at which you consider something as a community imposed general (non-question-specific) policy based on Meta Q&A? E.g. if there is a consensus answer with +3 vote margin, do you consider it a policy? +8 vote margin? No specific threshold aside from your own opinion?
Beofett answered: I don't have a specific threshold, as it varies depending on the circumstances. Generally, though, for non-question-specific issues, I think time is a bigger factor than vote margin, although vote margin is definitely still a component. I think discussions should be up long enough to allow sufficient visibility. For a major policy change, a full week would be the minimum. If the voting is close, I'd give it more time
Beofett continued: When I determine if I feel voting is close, I factor in the number of down-votes. E.g. after a week, I might consider an answer with 5 upvotes and no downvotes as indicative of consensus, but an answer with 10 upvotes and 5 downvotes I'd leave for another couple of days, at least, since it is clear that a significant portion of the population disagrees.
Beofett continued: Generally, though, once sufficient time is allowed, I think a 10+ margin is pretty clear, even if there are a fair number of dissenting votes. If there are only one or two dissenting votes, I think a margin of 5+ is fair, though.
Beofett concluded: A similar process could be used if there are multiple highly-voted answers that differ significantly. I'd allow more time for votes, and look for a significant (10+) margin between them.
Kevin answered: If an answer has been around a while and there is no upvoted contradictory answer, I would consider that policy. For more contested issues, there is no absolute rule, it's more of a case-by-case basis.
DavRob60 answered: The threshold is more a matter of percentage than points. I would consider the total number of vote on the answers vs the others options. I think we should discuss it in meta before casting those threshold in stone, be here is a rough draft: 50%-66% Majority : more a guideline than a policy 66%-75% Strong majority : A candidate to become a policy 75%-100% near Consensus : de facto policy