Here are some of the best questions for an ex-cult member survey about stigma experiences, plus practical tips on designing them. We can help you build your survey in seconds using our AI-powered generator, taking the guesswork out of the process.
What are the best open-ended questions for ex-cult member stigma surveys?
Open-ended questions help us understand the real stories and feelings behind the stats. They invite respondents to express their experiences authentically—perfect for uncovering nuance and themes that closed questions might miss. For ex-cult members navigating stigma, these questions can reveal struggles around reintegration, relationships, and emotional recovery. Given that 60% of ex-cult members report challenges in societal reintegration after leaving their group, it’s critical to let them share details in their own words. [1]
What was the biggest challenge you faced when rejoining society after leaving your group?
Can you share a time when you felt judged because of your history in a cult?
How did people typically react when they learned about your past involvement?
What, if any, negative labels or stereotypes have you encountered since leaving?
In what ways has stigma affected your relationships with family or friends?
Have you ever felt excluded from social circles or activities because of your background?
What types of support—if any—helped you cope with others’ reactions?
How has stigma impacted your mental health or sense of self-worth?
Are there things you wish people understood better about life after leaving a cult?
If you’ve found acceptance or understanding, what made that possible?
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for ex-cult member stigma experiences
Single-select multiple-choice questions are handy for quantifying responses and making trends easy to spot. They work well if we’re looking for quick stats or want to gently invite respondents into a conversation without overwhelming them with open text. Sometimes, choosing from options lets people ease into complex discussions—then we dig deeper by following up with why or how.
Question: Since leaving your group, how often have you felt judged because of your past?
Never
Rarely
Sometimes
Often
Always
Question: Which emotion did you feel most strongly after leaving your group?
Depression
Loneliness
Anger
Relief
Hopeful
Other
Question: Who have you found to be the most supportive since your transition out of the group?
Family
Friends
Online communities
Support groups
No one
Other
When to follow up with "why?" If a respondent picks “Loneliness,” asking why (e.g., “What made you feel lonely after leaving?”) uncovers causes and provides rich, actionable insights. It turns a surface answer into an in-depth conversation, which is especially important considering 68% of ex-members report loneliness and anger after leaving their groups. [2]
When and why to add the "Other" choice? Use it when the listed options may not capture everyone’s unique experience. Following up on “Other” can lead to insights you’d otherwise miss.
NPS questions for stigma experiences – when does it make sense?
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a classic metric that asks, “How likely are you to recommend [X] to a friend or colleague?” For ex-cult member stigma experiences, we adapt it to measure overall satisfaction with support, community acceptance, or the resources available after leaving a group. The beauty of NPS is its simplicity and directness, letting us benchmark overall sentiment and spot areas needing improvement. You can quickly generate a stigma-focused NPS survey for ex-cult members using our builder.
The power of follow-up questions
Follow-up questions turn surveys into genuine conversations. They adapt to respondents’ answers, clarify uncertainties, and pick up on emotional cues—especially valuable for topics like stigma. Read more about automated follow-up questions and why they drive richer insights.
Ex-cult member: “People avoid me sometimes.”
AI follow-up: “Can you describe a specific instance where you felt avoided? How did it make you feel?”
Instead of ambiguous replies, the conversation uncovers actionable stories and context we’d otherwise miss.
How many followups to ask? Usually, two or three follow-ups are enough to gather meaningful detail—after that, it’s best to let respondents move on. It’s a smart idea to allow survey logic to end probing once you’ve got what you need. Specific offers a flexible setting for this.
This makes it a conversational survey: Respondents don’t just fill out a form—they engage in an interactive exchange, making the experience smoother and more empathetic.
AI survey analysis is a breeze, too. Even if responses are mostly open text, you can analyze survey responses with AI tools—spotting patterns, key themes, and sentiment in seconds, not hours.
These automated follow-ups are a new way to interview at scale. Try generating a stigma survey and experience just how intelligent and natural these probes feel.
How to prompt ChatGPT (or other GPTs) for great ex-cult stigma survey questions
If you want to DIY a set of survey questions using ChatGPT or another AI model, start simple. First, just ask for open questions:
Suggest 10 open-ended questions for Ex-Cult Member survey about Stigma Experiences.
The more context you give AI, the better. For example, specify your audience, that you want sensitive and stigma-focused questions, and your end goal (e.g., “help support organizations improve outreach”):
I work with a non-profit supporting ex-cult members. We want to learn about their stigma experiences, both emotional and social, to improve our programs. Suggest 10 open questions that are empathetic but actionable.
Once you have a list, ask AI to group them for you:
Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them.
Then, if “Social stigma” and “Coping strategies” pop up as categories you want to deepen, try:
Generate 10 questions for “Social stigma” and 10 for “Coping strategies.”
What is a conversational survey?
A conversational survey is an interactive, chat-like experience where questions adapt to respondents’ answers in real time—offering depth, humanity, and follow-up questions just like an expert interviewer would. Instead of clicking through a static list or filling a form, it feels like a smart conversation. Thanks to advances in AI, creating these conversational surveys is now much easier—AI survey generators like ours allow anyone to go from an idea to a launch-ready survey in minutes.
Let’s compare:
Manual Survey Creation | AI-Generated (Conversational) Survey |
|---|---|
Brainstorm and write every question yourself | Describe your goal, and AI builds structured, expert-level questions |
No automatic follow-ups; clarification requires manual review | Automated real-time follow-ups dig deeper instantly |
Lower response rates (45-50%) due to static forms [3] | Higher completion (70-80%)—AI adapts to keep respondents engaged [3] |
Analysis of open text is time-consuming | Instant AI-powered insight, themes, and summaries |
Why use AI for ex-cult member surveys? The sensitivity and complexity around stigma call for adaptive, empathetic questioning and minimal manual effort. AI-powered interviews, with their conversational format and higher engagement rates, unlock more honest responses and drive better decisions. Studies show AI-assisted survey interviewing yields more detailed open-ended answers from respondents—perfect for understanding nuanced stigma experiences. [4]
With Specific, you get best-in-class conversational experience—your surveys are engaging to take and frictionless to launch. To learn the step-by-step process, check out our resource on how to create a survey for ex-cult member stigma experiences.
See this stigma experiences survey example now
See firsthand how easy it is to design a stigma experiences survey for ex-cult members—get unique, conversational feedback and unlock the insights that matter most.