Best questions for ex-cult member survey about physical safety concerns

Here are some of the best questions for an ex-cult member survey about physical safety concerns—and tips to help you create them. You can build your own conversational survey in seconds using Specific’s AI survey generator.

Best open-ended questions for ex-cult member survey about physical safety concerns

Open-ended questions are essential when we want deep, real stories. They let ex-cult members share details about their safety experiences in their own words—which is vital for sensitive topics and understanding nuanced risks. If you need richer qualitative insights or unfiltered experiences, start with open-ended prompts like these.

1. Can you describe any situations where you felt physically unsafe during your time in the group?

2. What specific events or behaviors contributed most to your feelings of danger?

3. After leaving, have you experienced any threats or intimidation related to your former group? If so, please elaborate.

4. How did concerns about personal safety influence your decision to leave?

5. Were there rules or expectations that made you feel physically vulnerable? Please explain.

6. What support systems (if any) did you rely on for your physical protection after leaving?

7. Can you share any advice for others leaving similar high-control environments regarding physical safety?

8. How has your sense of safety changed since leaving the group?

9. Have you taken any steps or precautions to protect yourself after your departure? If so, what were they?

10. What do you wish others (family, authorities, therapists) understood about the physical risks faced by former members?

These questions create the space for honesty—crucial, given that 49% of ex-cult members fear physical harm and the rates of anxiety and trauma are high. [2][1]

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for ex-cult member survey about physical safety concerns

Single-select multiple-choice questions help quantify experiences or quickly gauge the most common risks. They’re ideal for fast insights, or when you want to start a conversation without overwhelming respondents. Choosing from brief options often makes it easier for a former member to reply, and these questions can always be followed by clarifying prompts.

Question: Did you ever fear for your physical safety while in the group?

• Yes, frequently

• Yes, occasionally

• No, never

Question: Since leaving, have you experienced any physical threats?

• Yes, ongoing

• Yes, once or twice

• No

• Prefer not to say

Question: What was your primary source of concern for physical safety in the group?

• Group leader's behavior

• Other members

• Outsiders connected to the group

• Other

When to followup with "why?" We always dig deeper when a response is broad. For instance, if someone selects "Group leader’s behavior," we can ask, “Why did the group leader’s actions make you feel unsafe?” This surfaces context that raw numbers alone miss—and helps uncover patterns critical to post-cult support.
When and why to add the "Other" choice? Adding "Other" lets people share safety concerns that don’t fit our set categories. When someone picks "Other," a follow-up question invites their unique perspective—sometimes leading to entirely new findings that structured questions alone can’t reveal.

NPS: a net promoter score question for ex-cult member physical safety surveys

NPS (Net Promoter Score) prompts people to rate how likely they are to recommend a course of action or support system—standard in customer research, but valuable here too. For ex-cult member safety, we might ask: “How likely are you to recommend joining a support network to someone exiting a high-control group?” This helps measure confidence in specific safety-related resources. See how you could generate an NPS survey for ex-cult members, adapted to these sensitive contexts.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions are where the magic happens. You get initial answers, and Specific’s AI digs for details in real time. Automated followups support a conversational flow—so you capture precise, actionable insights, often surfacing patterns you’d miss with a static survey.

Without followups, responses can be unclear, leading to gaps in your research. Here’s how it can play out:

• Ex-cult member: “I was sometimes scared by late-night meetings.”

• AI follow-up: “What made the late-night meetings feel frightening for you?”

We instantly clarify context—no need for time-consuming followup emails that break the survey flow. This is all handled automatically by Specific’s AI follow-up engine.

How many followups to ask? Usually, 2–3 followups are enough to capture full context from each response. With Specific, you set the depth—and if you’ve gathered what you need early, the system will move on to the next question. It keeps the conversation both respectful and efficient.

This makes it a conversational survey: Instead of a questionnaire, you have a dialogue. Respondents feel heard, and results are richer—making the process more humane for all involved.

AI survey analysis, response summaries, thematic analysis: Analyzing open text can be intimidating, but AI makes it easy. With AI-powered survey response analysis, you can instantly summarize findings and explore key safety or risk patterns—even if every answer is unique.

These automated followups are a game-changer for research. If you haven’t yet, try generating a conversational survey and experience how natural it feels.

How to compose a ChatGPT prompt for ex-cult member safety questions

We’ve seen AI outperform manual brainstorming, especially with the right prompt. For a quick start, use:

Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Ex-Cult Member survey about Physical Safety Concerns.

But the output gets even better if you add context—what you’re researching, who you are, your end goal. Here’s an enhanced prompt:

We’re building a survey for people who recently left high-control groups. Our focus is on physical safety risks, both during membership and after departure. The audience may have experienced threats or intimidation. Suggest 10 open-ended questions to capture their real experiences.

Next, ask ChatGPT to organize your draft with:

Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.

Then, you can zoom in by topic—say, post-exit threats or support systems—with:

Generate 10 questions for categories: intimidation after leaving, support systems for physical safety.

This workflow helps you drill down fast and produce nuanced, targeted questions—perfect for sensitive audiences.

What is a conversational survey—and why it’s a better way to create AI survey examples

Traditional surveys feel like filling out forms. Conversational surveys, as pioneered by Specific, feel like talking with someone who cares—and they unlock more honest, detailed feedback. The AI drives context-aware probing, instantly customizing the experience as if a researcher sat with each respondent.

Let’s break it down:

This format delivers both richer open-ended data and easier participation—crucial for ex-cult members sharing sensitive, sometimes traumatic experiences. Building an AI survey example through a conversational flow brings humanity back into data collection, leading to more actionable insights.

See our hands-on guide for building a survey for ex-cult member safety feedback—it’s easy and surprisingly effective.

Why use AI for ex-cult member surveys? AI surveys adapt to responses, ask sensitive follow-ups, and minimize friction for both researcher and respondent. This helps address psychological distress—which numerous studies show is very common in this group [1][2]. With Specific, we ensure that each response is handled with empathy and expertise, raising both quality and safety for everyone involved.

Specific’s conversational surveys deliver the smoothest experience, from survey creation to deep response analysis for both creators and those brave enough to share their stories.

See this physical safety concerns survey example now

Experience a new standard for sensitive research—unlock deeper insights, speed up your workflow, and make data collection feel safe and human for every ex-cult member.