In a public cardiac emergency, when seconds count, being familiar with CPR may not be enough to inspire bystander action. In advance of Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) Awareness Month, a new national survey of more than 2,000 American adults points to a critical factor in bystander intervention: confidence to act under pressure.

The survey of 2,095 adults ages 18+ was part of Zoll’s “Anything Can Happen. Anyone Can Help.” campaign. The campaign aims to close the gap between CPR awareness and action by educating the public that AEDs do more than deliver a shock; they empower bystanders with step-by-step instructions in a cardiac emergency. As a leader in the AED market, Zoll distinguishes its devices with clear audio and visual prompts and real-time corrective feedback to guide high-quality CPR, an approach shown to improve survival rates and long-term outcomes.1

Survey Highlights: Real-Time CPR “Coaching” Increases Confidence

Survey results confirm this need for guidance:

  • While 65% of Americans claim they would be confident performing CPR, survey results indicate confidence to administer life-saving aid (like CPR) rises to 74% if real-time coaching is available.
  • 83% say easy to follow instructions and feedback would help them stay calm in a crisis.

A Built-in “Coach” May Be Nearby and Knowing That Helps Build Confidence

If an AED is available during a cardiac emergency, then a “coach” is already nearby. While misperceptions about AEDs still cause hesitation, understanding of how these devices work builds public confidence to act in an emergency.

  • More than half of Americans (53%) believe you need special training or prior experience to save someone’s life. In actuality, AEDs are intentionally designed with easy-to-follow audio and visual prompts so anyone can follow along and help save a life.
  • Roughly one third of Americans are surprised to learn important, basic facts about AEDs: AEDs will not deliver a shock unless needed (30%), users can’t hurt someone with an AED (30%) and AEDs guide high-quality CPR with feedback like “push harder” or “stop compressions” (29%).
  • Encouragingly, public confidence in AED use is rising: 52% of Americans now say they feel confident using an AED, up from 46% in the 2024 survey.
  • Confidence to use an AED in an emergency nearly triples among those familiar with these lifesaving devices (77%) compared to those unfamiliar (26%).

Youth Sports: Confidence vs. Preparedness

The need for greater AED understanding is especially important in youth sports, where sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. Yet many parents assume safeguards are already in place:

  • 57% of parents (with kids under 18) wrongly believe all youth coaches are required to have CPR and AED training.
  • 50% of parents believe all youth sports teams have access to a team AED, yet most U.S. states still do not specifically mandate teams to have one.
  • 53% of parents do not know whether their child’s sports practice, meet, or game facility is equipped with AEDs.

“The survey confirms what we’ve long understood: real-time coaching inspires confidence,” said Elijah White, President of Zoll’s Acute Care Technology division. “Zoll AEDs provide that guidance, supporting anyone in those critical moments to turn hesitation into action when every second counts.”

Building on this year’s findings, Zoll’s “Anything Can Happen, Anyone Can Help,” campaign is expanding its reach with new collaborators and voices. Professional football player and cardiac arrest survivor Damar Hamlin will be joined in October by college and professional athletes to spread the message more widely. Visit AnyoneCanHelp.com for a free AED Community Activation Kit and tools to help communities build confidence and preparedness.

1 https://cpr.heart.org/en/resuscitation-science/high-quality-cpr
2 Sudden cardiac arrest in athletes and strategies to optimize preparedness – PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10540019/