Here are some of the best questions for an ex-cult member survey about housing stability, plus tips on how to design them effectively. If you want to build a conversational survey in seconds, Specific can help you get started effortlessly.
Best open-ended questions for ex-cult member survey about housing stability
Open-ended questions are ideal for understanding the lived experiences and nuanced challenges of ex-cult members. They let people share their story in their own words—offering vital context and unexpected insights, especially around complex, sensitive topics where a checkbox won’t suffice.
Can you describe your current housing situation since leaving your group?
What were your biggest challenges finding stable housing after your departure?
How has your mental health been impacted by your housing situation?
What support or resources did you wish you had when searching for a new place to live?
Can you share any experiences of discrimination while seeking housing?
How did your previous involvement in a high-control group impact your financial stability and housing options?
What factors have helped you feel at home or unsafe in your current community?
How do you define "housing stability" for yourself now?
What advice would you give others leaving similar groups about securing stable housing?
Can you share a story about a time your housing situation improved your sense of security or integration into society?
These questions get beneath surface-level answers. Research shows that about 83% of former cult members experience anxiety, and 67% report depression after departure—nuanced, open responses reveal how housing connects with these mental health struggles and what actually helps day-to-day. [1]
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for ex-cult member survey about housing stability
Single-select multiple-choice questions shine when we need to quantify responses or lower the activation energy for respondents. Sometimes it’s less intimidating to pick from a short list, especially as a conversation starter. Once we understand a respondent’s context, we can dig deeper with open-ended or follow-up questions.
Question: How would you describe your current housing stability?
Very stable
Somewhat stable
Unstable
I do not have housing
Question: After leaving your group, who supported you most in finding housing?
Family
Friends
A nonprofit or support group
I navigated it alone
Question: What was your biggest barrier to securing stable housing?
Financial limitations
Lack of references or rental history
Discrimination or stigma
Other
When to follow up with "why?" A great time to ask "why?" is when a single-select answer lacks context. For example, if someone selects “Financial limitations” for biggest barrier, ask “Can you share more about the financial challenges you encountered after leaving?” This moves us from data points to tangible stories, illuminating how issues like financial dependency can restrict opportunities after leaving high-control groups. [3]
When and why to add the "Other" choice? "Other" is powerful when we might not know every possible answer or want to invite perspectives outside the norm. Follow-up questions after an "Other" selection often surface new, unexpected pain points—opening a door for insights we would have missed if we limited people to a predefined list.
NPS question for ex-cult member surveys about housing stability
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a proven survey method to measure overall satisfaction or likelihood to recommend. In the context of ex-cult member housing stability, it can spotlight sentiment and offer benchmarking across support services, organizations, or even landlords. For example, “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this housing support community to someone else leaving a high-control group?” This NPS can trigger tailored follow-ups—what worked for promoters, what would have helped detractors—enabling continuous improvement. If you want to try building this type of survey, use this NPS survey prompt for ex-cult members.
The power of follow-up questions
If you want real context, you need follow-up questions—and automating them with AI is a superpower. With Specific’s automatic follow-ups, the survey chats with respondents like an expert: probing for nuance, clarifying ambiguity, and surfacing rich stories in the moment. Follow-ups save huge amounts of time compared to manual email chases, and make the respondent feel heard in a natural flow.
Ex-cult member: "I struggled with finances."
AI follow-up: "Can you tell me more about what contributed to your financial challenges after leaving? For example: Were there debts, a gap in work experience, or lack of access to resources?"
How many follow-ups to ask? Typically, 2–3 well-crafted follow-ups provide plenty of depth without fatiguing respondents. With Specific, you control the follow-up depth and can let the AI move to the next question as soon as you have what you need—intelligent and efficient.
This makes it a conversational survey: Instead of rigid forms, every survey unfolds like a discussion, building trust and comfort with each exchange. Respondents open up more, so you get richer data and higher completion rates.
Easy AI-powered analysis: With AI response analysis, even large volumes of free-text answers and follow-up conversations are instantly categorized and summarized. No manual coding or spreadsheet headache—just actionable insights, ready to use.
Automated follow-ups are a new paradigm—try generating a survey now and experience the difference firsthand.
How to write prompts for ChatGPT (or other GPTs) to generate survey questions
AI is pretty smart out of the box, but giving it a pointed prompt (or “creative brief”) makes a world of difference. Start simple:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Ex-Cult Member survey about Housing Stability.
If you want the AI to go deeper, add context about your goals, audience, or the type of experience you want to explore:
I'm creating a survey for individuals who recently left high-control religious groups. I want open-ended questions that address housing stability, mental health challenges, and barriers to integration after departure. Please focus on both practical and emotional aspects, and aim for questions that foster trust and empathy.
Next, have AI help organize the questions:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
Scan the categories, pick the ones that matter most—maybe “financial barriers,” “mental health,” or “community support”—and dive deeper:
Generate 10 questions for categories 'financial barriers' and 'community support'.
Iterating like this keeps your survey focused, conversational, and empathetic to people’s real situations.
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey isn’t just a form—it’s an interactive, humanlike chat. Each question flows naturally from the last, and the survey adapts in real time based on what the respondent says. AI-driven survey generators like Specific make it easy: you create and edit questions with plain language (not spreadsheets), and every respondent gets a personalized experience, including real-time follow-ups and clarifying questions.
Manual Surveys | AI-Generated Conversational Surveys |
|---|---|
Rigid, fixed questions | Dynamic, adapts with follow-ups |
Slow to build and update | Instant creation, easy edits |
No real-time probing | Probes and clarifies automatically |
Analysis is manual and slow | AI-powered insights and summaries |
Why use AI for ex-cult member surveys? The amount of sensitivity, nuance, and support required simply can’t be matched with a static form. AI-driven conversational surveys encourage honest sharing, clarify context on the spot, and adapt tone and depth to the respondent—all while letting you analyze results effortlessly. See the full process in our guide on how to create an ex-cult member housing stability survey.
If you want to see an AI survey example, or experience a best-in-class conversational survey firsthand, Specific’s platform offers the smoothest feedback flow for both creators and respondents—making every survey feel like a genuine, supportive conversation.
See this housing stability survey example now
Get powerful feedback and rich insights instantly—start a conversational survey for ex-cult members dealing with housing stability, and experience the difference fast AI-powered surveys make.