ERG survey questions members answer on belonging, careers and events
An ERG survey asks members whether the group helps them belong, grow their careers and get heard, and what it should do next. Members finish the core 12 in around four minutes. Add sets on events, sponsors, careers and meeting topics, plus one for colleagues who have not joined yet.
- 37questions
- 12in the core set
- 4 minto answer the core
- 5for non-members
By Michael Hodge, BSc Psychology Updated September 2026
All 37 ERG survey questions
Every core question is already ticked. Tick more from the sets on events, leaders and sponsors, career growth, next quarter's topics and colleagues who have not joined, and your ERG survey is ready to open, print or paste elsewhere.
The core 1212 questions
Two statements to set beside non-members' answers, seven on what the group does for the people in it, the overall verdict, next year's focus vote and one open question.
-
I feel I belong at this company.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe number to compare with colleagues who have not joined. Ask it in exactly these words in both sets.4
-
I see myself still working here two years from now.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreePlans to stay. Research on network groups has looked at exactly this outcome, so compare it with non-members too.2
-
This ERG has widened my network at work.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe community job: new connections across teams that members would not have made on their own.
-
This ERG has helped me grow in my career here.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe career job. Network groups have been linked to career optimism, mostly through the mentoring they bring.1
-
ERG events are worth the time I spend on them.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeAsks for value, not attendance. A low score warns you before the attendance numbers drop.
-
I know what this ERG wants to achieve this year.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeA clear purpose is what separates a busy calendar from a group with a plan.
-
Members' ideas shape what this ERG does.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeWhether the group belongs to its members or only to its committee.
-
My manager supports the time I give to ERG work.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeManager support decides who can take part. Read it next to attendance before you blame the events.
-
This ERG gets members' concerns to senior leaders.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeThe change job: whether the group can move company practice, not only host events.3
-
Overall, how would you rate this ERG this year?
ExcellentGoodFairPoorVery poorThe headline figure for your sponsor. Track it every year and let the nine statements explain any change.
-
What should this ERG put most effort into next year?
Careers and mentoringCommunity and connectionChanging company practiceTeaching the wider companyCommunity volunteeringMembers choose the balance between the three jobs. It also works as a live vote at a meeting.
-
What is one thing that would make this ERG more valuable to you?
Open answerOne idea per member sorts into a handful of themes you can plan around.
Events and meetings5 questions
Add these when attendance is falling or the calendar is being planned.
-
How many ERG events or meetings have you joined in the past six months?
None12 or 34 to 6More than 6Your activity measure. Members who have joined none are the ones to ask why.
-
Meeting times and formats make it easy for me to join.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeShift workers, parents and remote staff are often left out by timing, not by interest.
-
Which formats would you make time for?
Lunch-hour talksAfter-work socialsOnline sessionsSmall mentoring circlesVolunteering daysOutside speakersTick all that applyTells you which formats to book more of before you plan the calendar.
-
What most often keeps you from ERG events?
WorkloadMeeting timesLocationTopics do not fit meUnsure I would be welcomeNothing keeps me awaySeparates problems you can fix with the calendar from ones that need a conversation.
-
Where do you usually see news about ERG events?
EmailTeam chat channelIntranet pageCalendar invitesWord of mouthPut the next invitation where members actually look.
Leaders and sponsors5 questions
For the ERG committee and its executive sponsor: how members see the people who run the group.
-
ERG leaders are easy to reach with an idea or a concern.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeApproachability. If this is low, members' ideas never reach the committee at all.
-
ERG leaders report back on members' suggestions.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeClosing the loop. Members who hear nothing back stop offering ideas.
-
Our executive sponsor helps the ERG get things done.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeWhether the sponsor opens doors, beyond lending a name to the group.
-
Any member can take a leadership role in this ERG.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeCommittee seats are a development opportunity. This checks they are not always held by the same few people.
-
How often have you seen our executive sponsor at an ERG event this year?
NeverOnceA few timesAt most eventsI do not know who it isA factual check on sponsor visibility. The last option is an answer in itself.
Career growth and mentoring4 questions
Add these when careers are the group's main purpose, or before starting a mentoring program.
-
Would you join an ERG mentoring program?
Yes, as a menteeYes, as a mentorYes, in either roleNot right nowSizes a mentoring program before you build it, and finds your mentors.
-
This ERG has given me someone to ask for career advice.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeIn one study, mentoring was the main way network groups lifted members' career optimism. This asks whether it happens here.1
-
This ERG has made me visible to leaders beyond my team.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeVisibility beyond the direct manager, which a group that spans the company is well placed to give.
-
Which skills should ERG sessions help you build?
Speaking to senior leadersLeading a teamAsking for a promotionBuilding a networkRunning projectsPersonal financeTick all that applyTurns "career development" into a list of sessions you can book speakers for.
Topics for next quarter3 questions
Send these before planning the next season of meetings, or ask them on their own as a topic vote.
-
Which topics should the ERG discuss next quarter?
Getting promoted hereFinding a mentor or sponsorCaregiving and workHealth and wellbeingSpeaking up in meetingsBeing a good allyHeritage and historyOur survey resultsTick all that applyThe two or three most ticked topics become next quarter's meetings.
-
Which discussion format do you prefer?
Panel with open questionsSmall roundtablesOne speaker, then discussionBook or article clubOnline discussion threadTells you whether to book a stage and a speaker or a room full of small tables.
-
Suggest a topic or a speaker for a future ERG meeting.
Open answerMembers often know a colleague with a story worth an hour of everyone's time.
For employees who have not joined an ERG5 questions
A separate short survey for colleagues outside the group. Its two statements match core statements 1 and 2 word for word, so the two groups can be compared.
-
Did you know this company has employee resource groups?
Yes, and I know which onesYes, but not which onesNo, this is news to meAwareness comes first: nobody joins a group they have never heard of.
-
I feel I belong at this company.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeIdentical to core statement 1. The gap between the two groups is the headline of your impact report.4
-
I see myself still working here two years from now.
Strongly disagree12345Strongly agree1 = Strongly disagree, 5 = Strongly agreeIdentical to core statement 2, for the same comparison on plans to stay.
-
What has kept you from joining an ERG so far?
I did not know how to joinNo group fits meNot enough timeUnsure if allies are welcomeUnsure how my manager would see itI am not interestedEach answer has a different fix: a clearer invitation, a new group, or a word with managers.
-
What would make an ERG worth your time?
Career developmentMeeting people across the companySupport from people who share my experienceA say in company policiesVolunteering togetherLearning about other culturesTick all that applyShows what to lead with when you invite this group to the next event.
About you (optional)3 questions
Ask these only if the scorecard will be split, say by role or years in the group, and never show a split with fewer than five answers.
-
Which best describes your part in this ERG?
Leader or committee memberRegular memberOccasional memberMember as an allyPrefer not to sayCommittee members see the group from the inside. Splitting their answers out shows whether everyone else agrees.
-
How long have you been a member?
Under 6 months6 to 12 months1 to 3 yearsOver 3 yearsPrefer not to sayNew members show whether the welcome works; long-standing ones show whether the group keeps its value.
-
Where do you mostly work?
On siteHybridFully remotePrefer not to sayRemote members can experience a different ERG from the people in the room.
How to measure ERG engagement and impact
Four numbers tell an executive sponsor most of what they want to know. Your roster and event sign-ins give the first two; this survey gives the rest.
| Measure | How to work it out | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Members divided by the employees who could join | Your ERG roster |
| Activity | Share of members at one or more events in six months | Event sign-ins, or the first events question |
| Member experience | Share agreeing with each core statement, plus the overall rating | Core questions 1 to 10 |
| Difference | Belonging and plans to stay, members next to non-members | Core 1 and 2, repeated in the non-member set |
Report reach and activity each quarter, and the other two once a year. The difference is the number leaders remember. Perceptyx, an employee survey company, suggests exactly this comparison: ask about ERG membership, belonging and how effective the ERG is, then set members' scores beside everyone else's. In its benchmark data, ERG members report belonging scores 12 to 18 percentage points higher than non-members.4
A worked example
Here is an example ERG with 140 members at a company of 2,000, after its first member survey.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Reach: 140 members of 2,000 who could join | 7% |
| Activity: members at one or more events | 75% |
| 1. I feel I belong at this company (members) | 76% agree |
| 1. The same statement (non-members) | 61% agree |
| 9. Concerns reach senior leaders | 38% agree |
| 10. Overall rating good or excellent | 71% |
This group reaches a small slice of the company, keeps its members active and gives them a real sense of belonging: a 15-point lead over colleagues outside it. Its weak spot is influence, where fewer than four in ten members see their concerns reach the top. The plan writes itself: a standing quarterly slot with the executive sponsor, and a meeting on the policy members most want changed.
Running a wider staff survey in the same season? The full set of employee survey questions covers pay, workload and managers.
Choices that tell the committee something new
Four choices decide whether the survey tells you something new about your group, or only what the committee already knew.
Ask colleagues outside the group the same two questions
The strongest case for an ERG is a difference you can show. Send the non-member set to a sample of colleagues who have not joined, in the same weeks as the member survey, and compare their answers on belonging and plans to stay with your members'. The research points the same way: a study at one large company compared minority employees who had joined a network group with those who had not, and found the groups can help keep minority employees at the managerial level.2
Cover community, careers and change
When researchers studied how the leaders of five diversity networks at a Dutch financial firm described their value, the leaders spoke mostly of career development and community building, and said far less about removing barriers to inclusion in the organization.3 A survey that asks only about events repeats that pattern. The core covers all three jobs: statements 3 and 4 for community and careers, 7 and 9 for influence, and question 11 lets members set the balance. Careers deserve their place: in a survey of members of the National Black MBA Association, network groups lifted career optimism, mostly through the mentoring they offered.1
Protect members in a small group
An ERG of 20 people who share a visible identity is easy to break down until one answer points to one person. Collect no names, drop any detail that would single someone out, and hold back any group's results until at least five members have answered. If a sponsor asks for results by department, give them the ERG-wide figures instead.
Time it around the ERG calendar
Send the full survey once a year, a few weeks after the group's busiest season, while its events are fresh in members' minds. Perceptyx found that engagement peaks when an ERG holds at least one structured event a month and keeps an informal channel active every week, so hold the calendar to that rhythm and let the first events question show who actually came.4 Share the results at the next meeting and make the lowest score a discussion topic.
Planning next year before the full survey is out? At the next meeting, ask members where the effort should go with a quick live poll; votes stay anonymous. Making a poll is a one-minute job, and members answer from their own phones.
Turn member answers into an ERG scorecard
Enter the member counts for each answer on statements 1 to 9. You get a bar for every statement showing where the group is strong and where it falls short, ready to print for the next sponsor meeting.
- 1One bar per statement: its length is the share of members who agreed.
- 2Read the bars in three groups: belonging and staying (1 and 2), what members get from the group (3 to 5), and how it is run and heard (6 to 9).
- 3Set statements 1 and 2 beside the same answers from colleagues who have not joined.
- 4Take the lowest bar to the next meeting as a discussion topic, and name who will act on it.
ERG member results
ERG discussion topics, each with a starter question
Catalyst designs its ERG discussion guides for a one-hour session, with starter questions and reading before and after.5 These twelve topics work the same way, grouped by the three jobs an ERG does. Put the topic vote from the survey to members first, then open with the winner.
| Topic | Starter question |
|---|---|
| Community | |
| Feeling at home here | When did you first feel you belonged at this company, and what made the difference? |
| Welcoming new hires | What do you wish someone had told you in your first month? |
| Allies who help | What is one thing an ally did that made a real difference to you? |
| Heritage and history | Which story from our community should the whole company hear this year? |
| Careers | |
| The unwritten rules | Which unwritten rule about getting ahead here took you longest to learn? |
| Mentors and sponsors | Who has spoken up for you when you were not in the room? |
| Getting heard in meetings | What helps you get your point across in a meeting someone else runs? |
| Asking for a promotion | What would you do differently the next time you ask? |
| Change | |
| One policy to fix | Which company policy works least well for people like us, and what would fix it? |
| Fairer hiring | What would make our interviews fairer for candidates like you? |
| Hybrid meetings | What gets missed when half the group joins on a screen? |
| Our survey results | Our lowest score was on one statement. What sits behind that number? |
The last topic turns this survey into a meeting: share the scorecard, ask what sits behind the weakest bar, and leave with one owner for the fix. To open any session, pick from these poll questions for meetings, or warm up a quiet group with a work question of the day.
After each quarter's events: a short member pulse
Send these five after each quarter's events. They track belonging, whether events earn their time, whether members steer the plan and reach leaders, and let members vote on the next focus.
- 01I feel I belong at this company.
- 02ERG events are worth the time I spend on them.
- 03Members' ideas shape what this ERG does.
- 04This ERG gets members' concerns to senior leaders.
- 05What should this ERG put most effort into next year?
Sheets at the door of the next ERG meeting
At an in-person meeting, paper is the quickest route: give each member a sheet at the door and have a volunteer gather them into an envelope before the first speaker starts. Letter and A4 both work for either file.
ERG member questionnaire
Page one carries the 12 core questions for members to mark in pen. The extra sets follow, the non-member questions among them.
Download PDF
ERG results tally sheet
One grid for the ERG secretary: mark each member's answers to the nine ERG statements and the headline rating, then fill in how many members agreed.
Download PDFERG survey questions to fix before you send them
Weak ERG questions ask members to judge a label. The better versions ask about something they have seen or done. Ratings, choices and open questions all get the same treatment in the survey question writing guide.
How engaged are you with the ERG?
How many ERG events or meetings have you joined in the past six months?
ERG events are worth the time I spend on them.
Engagement means something different to every member. A count and a judgment of value can be compared year to year.
Do ERG leaders and sponsors support members well?
ERG leaders are easy to reach with an idea or a concern.
Our executive sponsor helps the ERG get things done.
Leaders and sponsors do different jobs. Asked together, a low score cannot tell you who to talk to.
Has the ERG improved diversity and inclusion at the company?
This ERG gets members' concerns to senior leaders.
No member can judge company-wide results. Every member can tell you whether their voice travels upward.
Which ERG are you in: Women, Black Professionals, LGBTQ+ or Disability?
Which best describes your part in this ERG?
An identity list makes people label themselves and can expose them in a small group. Send each ERG its own link and ask about their role instead.
Questions ERG leads ask before a member survey
Short answers for ERG chairs, executive sponsors and HR partners.
How do you measure the success of an ERG?
Track four numbers: reach (members as a share of those who could join), activity (members at one or more events), member experience (the share agreeing with the core statements) and the gap in belonging and plans to stay between members and non-members. Your roster and sign-in sheets give the first two; this survey gives the rest.
How often should an ERG survey its members?
Once a year for all 12 core questions, with the five-question pulse at the end of each quarter in between. Put the focus vote to members whenever the committee plans its next season of events.
Should an ERG survey be anonymous?
Yes. Members often share an identity that is visible at work, so names or detailed demographics can point to one person. Collect no names and report results only when five or more members have answered.
Can allies and non-members take the survey?
Allies who have joined take the member survey, and the About you set lets them say so. Colleagues who have not joined get their own five questions, which also show what would bring them in.
What are good ERG discussion topics?
Topics members asked for in the survey: getting promoted, finding a mentor or sponsor, caregiving, getting heard in meetings, and the policy they most want changed. The topics table gives a starter question for each, and the survey results make a strong topic of their own.
Let members pick the next topic
Send the core 12 this month, share the scorecard at your next meeting, and let members choose the topic that opens it.
