BACKGROUND: The incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in China is high, yet the treatment rate remains low. Research on the current state of the public's awareness of and willingness to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in Hubei Province is scarcer. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to explore the general public's knowledge, confidence, and willingness to perform CPR in Hubei Province, China. METHODS: In this descriptive study we used convenience sampling to select 1, 849 permanent residents of Hubei Province as survey respondents. A self-designed questionnaire included four sections: demographic information, knowledge about CPR, confidence in skill implementation, willingness to implement it, factors that may influence CPR use. RESULTS: Four hundred ten individuals (22 %) had a knowledge score of moderate or higher. The following factors were statistically significant in CPR knowledge scores: gender, age, education, place of residence (last three years), presence of a cohabitant over age sixty years, occupation related to medicine, and participation in CPR training (p <
0.05). Only 81 (9.8 %) were confident in performing CPR. There were 708 (77.2 %) members of the public who were willing to perform CPR on strangers. Gender, age, education, place of residence (last three years), and having a medically-related occupation were associated with willingness to perform CPR (p <
0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Public knowledge of CPR in Hubei needs improvement, with a strong willingness but inadequate background knowledge for rescue. Government should broaden CPR training paths to enhance survival rates of OHCA patients.