Best questions for ex-cult member survey about social support networks

Here are some of the best questions for an ex-cult member survey about social support networks, plus tips to craft questions that dig deep. If you need to quickly build a survey tailored to this audience and topic, you can generate one with Specific in seconds.

Best open-ended questions for ex-cult member survey about social support networks

Open-ended questions encourage detailed and personal responses, uncovering experiences you didn’t expect. For ex-cult member surveys about social support networks, these questions allow for storytelling and context, which is crucial given the nuanced recovery journey many face.

Benefits of open-ended questions: They let respondents share what’s most important to them in their own words. Research shows ex-cult members often struggle with social integration and mental health after leaving a cult, so getting authentic narratives matters. Deep insights from open-ended questions can reveal issues like trust rebuilding, social isolation, and community needs that statistics alone can’t capture. [1]

1. Can you describe the support (if any) you received from friends or family after leaving your group?

2. How did your relationships change with people outside the group once you left?

3. What were the biggest challenges you faced when trying to connect with new people after leaving?

4. In what ways did connecting with other ex-members influence your recovery or adjustment?

5. Have you experienced any barriers to building a new social network? Please elaborate.

6. What specific resources or support groups have been most helpful to you during your transition?

7. How did you feel during the first few weeks or months after leaving regarding your sense of belonging?

8. What advice would you give to someone leaving a similar group about finding social support?

9. Have you encountered any negative experiences when seeking help or support outside your former group? Please share details.

10. What would you change about the support you received, if anything?

Best single-select multiple-choice questions for ex-cult member survey about social support networks

Single-select multiple-choice questions are perfect when you want to quantify experiences or preferences. They also give respondents a gentle entry point into sensitive topics; sometimes, picking from a list is less daunting than sharing right away. For ex-cult members, this approach can ease them into the survey and help you identify patterns quickly.

Question: After leaving your group, which type of support did you find most helpful?

• Family

• Friends

• Other ex-members

• Professional counselors

• Online communities

• Other

Question: How easy was it to find trustworthy people to talk to after your transition?

• Very easy

• Somewhat easy

• Somewhat hard

• Very hard

• I haven't found anyone

Question: Did you participate in any support groups after leaving your group?

• Yes, in-person

• Yes, online

• No

• Other

When to followup with "why?" Use a "why?" followup when you need to understand the reasons behind a certain choice. For example, if someone selects "Online communities" as most helpful, following up with “Why did online communities work best for you?” can reveal what traditional support lacks—or what made online spaces uniquely safe or accessible.

When and why to add the "Other" choice? The “Other” option can surface new, unexpected supports or experiences you haven’t considered. Paired with a followup (“Please specify”), this can uncover valuable insights you might miss with a fixed list.

NPS-type question for ex-cult member survey about social support networks

Net Promoter Score (NPS) isn’t just for products—it’s a smart way to measure overall satisfaction with support networks. For ex-cult members, it’s especially relevant: it helps you gauge how likely someone is to recommend a support group, helpline, or resource to others going through the same transition. Using a standard 0–10 scale, you get a clear snapshot of user sentiment and can then trigger personalized follow-up questions based on their score. Try building an NPS survey for ex-cult member social support experience.

The power of follow-up questions

Follow-up questions can completely transform your understanding of ex-cult member experiences. We built AI-powered followups in Specific to prompt with empathy and precision, so you’re never left guessing at meaning or motivation. This is essential for nuanced topics like social support, where answers are rarely one-size-fits-all.

Specific’s AI asks smart, on-the-fly follow-ups, just like a skilled interviewer—clarifying, probing, and uncovering stories in real time. These automated interactions save a ton of time compared to manual email follow-ups, and respondents appreciate the conversational flow. For instance, if a reply is unclear, here’s how followups help:

• Ex-cult member: “I found some help online.”

• AI follow-up: “What type of online help did you find, and how did it influence your transition?”

How many followups to ask? In our experience, 2–3 follow-ups per question is the sweet spot. Enough to reach actionable detail, but not so many that it feels tedious. You can always set a limit or let the AI move on as soon as the key info is captured—Specific’s settings make this a breeze.

This makes it a conversational survey—respondents aren’t just ticking boxes, they’re having a dialogue. That leads to much richer insight.

AI survey response analysis and unstructured text—thanks to tools like AI survey analysis, you can confidently analyze pages of free-text answers. The AI clusters themes and interprets meaning—no need to fear the data deluge when open questions yield long, nuanced responses.

These advanced AI followup features are changing survey design. Curious how it feels? Try generating a survey and see the difference first-hand.

How to compose better prompts for GPT to generate ex-cult member survey questions

If you’d rather brainstorm your own questions and want to use AI like ChatGPT, start simple:

Ask the AI: “Suggest 10 open-ended questions for ex-cult member survey about social support networks.”

You’ll get higher quality if you provide more background. For example, you might specify your audience’s age, background, or what you’re aiming to learn—context sharpens results.

Imagine you want to focus on support types:

“I’m creating a survey for ex-cult members aged 25–50, aiming to understand which kinds of social support (family, friends, therapy, peer groups, online forums) had the most impact on their recovery and how they navigated challenges in building trust again. Suggest 10 open-ended questions.”

Once you have a draft list, prompt the AI again: “Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.”

Then, as you review those categories, you might direct the AI: “Generate 10 questions for the categories Peer Support, Family Relationships, and Social Isolation.” This method gives you highly focused surveys in areas that matter most to your audience.

What is a conversational survey?

A conversational survey is more than a form with questions. It’s a chat-like experience that adapts in real time, just like a face-to-face interview—building trust, clarifying misunderstandings and encouraging deeper sharing.

Here’s a side-by-side look:

Why use AI for ex-cult member surveys? Recovery journeys aren’t linear, and needs vary. AI-generated surveys respond conversationally, adapt to each person’s story, and surface insights that a fixed script can’t reach, making it the gold standard for sensitive or nuanced feedback. If you want an AI survey example (or to create your own), you can use the AI survey generator for ex-cult member topics or even learn step-by-step in our article on how to create a survey.

Specific’s conversational flow, smart followups, and seamless analysis make it best-in-class for both creators and respondents—more engagement, richer data, and easier understanding.

See this social support networks survey example now

Explore real conversational survey questions and experience how engaging, AI-driven followups yield deeper insights for ex-cult member research. Take your understanding to the next level—see what makes a survey truly conversational and actionable.