One in five men afraid to give women CPR for fear of social media backlash

One in five (20%) men in the UK would hesitate to give CPR to a woman in public because they fear being filmed and posted on social media, a new St John Ambulance survey has revealed ahead of Restart a Heart Day. 

The poll of 2,000 people also found that concerns about being ‘accused of touching women inappropriately’ are stopping even more men from acting in a cardiac arrest. Almost a third (31%) of men said they would hesitate to perform life-saving CPR on a woman in public for fear of such accusations – making it the single biggest barrier to action, ahead of worries about ‘accidentally hurting them’ (28%) or ‘making the situation worse’ (24%).

The first aid charity shares these findings as it announces that its educational CPR Bra is going on sale, following widespread public demand. The CPR Bra – which features the consensual message “It’s OK to save my life” – was originally created in 2024 as an awareness campaign to tackle fears around touching breasts when giving CPR. Previous research from St John Ambulance found that this discomfort caused one in three people to hesitate before starting chest compressions on a woman in public.*

Designed by St John Ambulance medical experts, the bra also includes crucial visual prompts to remind bystanders what to do in a cardiac arrest. The CPR sports bra will be available to purchase from boobydoo at boobydoo.co.uk/cpr-bra/ priced from £35 with 50% of the proceeds supporting the charity’s life-saving work.

Millennials most hesitant

The research also revealed a generational divide. Fear of social media scrutiny is highest among Millennials with 21% of respondents, male and female, concerned that someone might film them and share on social media, followed by Gen Z aged 18-28 (16%), Gen X aged 45-60, (15%), and Baby Boomers aged 61-79 (10%). 

St John Ambulance’s medical director, Dr Lynn Thomas says:

“Women are less likely to receive CPR in public and hesitation is costing lives. Every second counts in a cardiac arrest and doing something is always better than doing nothing.

“It’s important we don’t shame anyone for hesitating as these fears are real and understandable, BUT no-one should ever feel afraid to try to save a life.”

Education could close the gap

Nearly seven in 10 men (69%1) said they would feel more confident performing CPR on a woman in public if they received more training and six in 10 (59%1) men said they were more likely to give CPR having seen or been made aware of the 2024 CPR Bra campaign.

Dr Lynn continues: “Education is key to building confidence. The CPR Bra is our way of putting the power of first aid into more people’s hands and we hope to inspire more people to take action and give CPR to any person in need, whatever their gender."

During Restart a Heart Day - when St John Ambulance and other health partners come together to teach CPR – St John will be focusing on ensuring that the public understands how to give vital first aid to a woman in cardiac arrest and address any concerns with doing so. 

Celebrity support

Hollyoaks and Coronation Street actor Nikki Sanderson, who is supporting the campaign, said she knows first-hand how critical CPR can be. 

“In 2021 my mum had a cardiac arrest, and we had to perform CPR until paramedics arrived. If we’d hesitated, she wouldn’t be here today,” she said. 

“It’s horrifying that so many people say they are less likely to help a woman in public - especially because they're afraid about people filming and sharing it online. That woman could be someone’s mum, sister or daughter. We need to remove these barriers so we can ‘bust the taboo’ because everyone deserves the same chance of survival.” 

Sports bra experts support life-saving campaign

Jessica Grace, Marketing Manager at boobydoo, said: "At boobydoo, we're passionate about empowering women through education, confidence and helping them find the right support for their bodies and chosen activity. Partnering with St John Ambulance on the CPR Bra was a natural fit because it aligns closely with our mission to support women, raise awareness of issues that disproportionately affect women and help remove barriers that can impact health, confidence and participation.”