Here are some of the best questions for a clinical trial participants survey about data privacy concerns, plus tips for crafting them. If you’re looking to build your own tailored survey instantly, Specific lets you generate a survey with just a prompt—no hassle, expert quality every time.
Best open-ended questions for clinical trial participants on data privacy
Open-ended questions allow clinical trial participants to express their true thoughts, fears, and expectations about data privacy. They’re perfect for understanding the “why” behind surface answers, revealing issues you may not have considered. If you want depth rather than just numbers, start here.
What are your main concerns about how your personal health data is used during and after the clinical trial?
Can you describe any previous experiences where you felt your medical information wasn’t handled securely?
What information would you like to receive about how your data will be stored or shared?
How does knowing your data might be shared with third parties (such as pharmaceutical companies or researchers) influence your decision to participate?
What would make you feel more confident that your privacy will be protected in this trial?
If you have questions or worries about data privacy, who do you turn to for answers?
In your opinion, what risks are involved in sharing your health data for research purposes?
How do you want to be informed if a data breach or misuse happens?
What assurances from the research team would lessen your privacy worries?
Is there anything specific about your health status that makes you more sensitive to data privacy concerns?
Open-ended responses are often the richest source of insight, especially since 37% of clinical trial participants worry that data sharing could deter them or others from joining trials [1]. By letting people speak in their own words, you gain context around these worries that simple checkboxes can’t capture.
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for clinical trial participants on data privacy
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs), especially single-select, are ideal when you need hard numbers or want to spark the conversation. Sometimes people find it easier to choose from a few options, and from there you can dig deeper with follow-ups.
Question: What worries you most about sharing your health data in this clinical trial?
That my data might be accessed by unauthorized individuals
That my data will be used for purposes other than research
That my data might be used for marketing by companies
Other
Question: Who would you feel most comfortable having access to your health data from this study?
Only the research team
Research team and approved academics
Medical professionals outside the study
Other
Question: How would you prefer to be notified if your data is shared with third parties?
By email
By phone call
Through a secure online portal
No preference
When to follow up with “why?” When a participant selects an option, a follow-up “why?” is valuable for clarity and context. For example, if someone checks “My data might be used for marketing,” ask, “Why is this a concern for you?” That’s how you get to the story behind the statistic, especially since 34% of participants fear marketing misuse [1].
When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always consider an “Other” option for MCQs when you suspect your list might miss less common worries. Adding a follow-up “please specify” lets you uncover new and unexpected concerns, enriching your understanding of the audience.
NPS for data privacy concerns: Does it fit?
NPS (Net Promoter Score) questions—“How likely are you to recommend participating in this clinical trial to a friend, considering how your data privacy concerns were handled?”—measure overall trust and satisfaction. For sensitive topics like data privacy, NPS helps you gauge whether participants feel confident enough to advocate for the process, which is critical if 88% of chronic illness patients are highly concerned about third-party access [2]. If you want to set up an NPS question customized for data privacy in your clinical trial, use our NPS survey builder.
The power of follow-up questions
Follow-up questions turn basic survey answers into full stories. With Specific, AI-powered follow-ups analyze the initial response in real time and ask the right next question—just like a skilled researcher, but scalable to every participant and every answer.
Participant: “I’m worried my data could be misused.”
AI follow-up: “Can you tell me more about what type of misuse concerns you most?”
Participant: “I just want to be notified if anything happens.”
AI follow-up: “What’s your preferred way to be notified about data-related incidents?”
Without these follow-ups, answers like “I just don’t trust companies” or “I’m not sure” stay vague and unhelpful.
How many followups to ask? Generally, limit it to 2–3 follow-ups per question. That's enough to clarify without overwhelming participants. Specific lets you control this setting and even skip further probes once you’ve collected key info.
This makes it a conversational survey: Instead of feeling like an interrogation or checklist, feedback becomes a real conversation—engaging and insightful.
AI analysis, large scale, easy: You can analyze participant replies using AI—even huge volumes of text—so you’re never buried in unstructured answers.
Automated AI-driven followups save time, ensure every concern is understood, and transform basic answers into actionable insights. Try generating your clinical trial participant survey to experience AI follow-ups firsthand.
Prompt examples for ChatGPT: Get survey questions that work
If you want to create your survey using ChatGPT or similar tools, effective prompts matter. Start simple, then add context for better results.
To get a list of open-ended questions, try:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Clinical Trial Participants survey about Data Privacy Concerns.
To improve results, give more context—let the AI know your audience, goals, and sensitivities:
I’m designing a survey for clinical trial participants. Many of them have privacy concerns, especially those with chronic or mental health issues. I want to uncover their worries, needs, and preferences about how data is used, stored, and shared. Suggest 10 open-ended questions that respect sensitive topics and spark honest feedback.
Once you have a question list, ask the AI to categorize it:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
Then, pick the categories you want to go deeper on—for example, “Concerns about data sharing” or “Preferred ways to be notified of breaches”—and prompt:
Generate 10 questions for [specific categories, e.g., Concerns about marketing use, Notification preferences].
What makes a survey conversational?
A conversational survey mimics a natural human exchange, not a static form. You answer a question, get a smart follow-up, and actually feel heard. This approach is a huge leap from traditional survey methods.
Manual surveys | AI-generated surveys (like Specific) |
|---|---|
Rigid forms, limited follow-ups, generic | Real-time smart probing, context-aware, human-like |
Complex to build and edit | Easy: create, edit, manage by chatting with AI |
Time-consuming analysis | Instant AI summaries and insights |
Why use AI for clinical trial participant surveys? The fear of data misuse is high—especially since 99% of mental health patients worry about third-party data access [2]. Using an AI survey builder means you can adapt in real-time, ask sensitive questions more tactfully, and analyze qualitative feedback without drowning in data. For a step-by-step guide, see our article on how to create a clinical trial participant survey about data privacy.
AI survey examples—especially those powered by Specific—are more engaging for participants and easier for teams to manage. The difference is in the conversational approach: richer insights, lower drop-off, and surveys that actually feel valuable for both respondent and creator.
Specific sets the bar for best-in-class user experience in conversational and AI-driven survey creation for clinical research. If you want surveys that feel like interviews, not interrogations, Specific is a top choice.
See this data privacy concerns survey example now
Turn participant trust into actionable insights. See how a conversational survey on data privacy concerns gives you deeper, richer answers and saves you hours in follow-up and analysis. Start building with AI—don’t settle for generic forms.