People picky about giving CPR to strangers

WASHINGTON, May 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. survey indicates one in four people have been in a situation in which CPR was needed -- and most Americans are reluctant to administer CPR to strangers.

The American Red Cross survey of 1,018 U.S. adults, conducted by Infogroup/ORC, found a majority said they are most comfortable giving cardiopulmonary resuscitation to family members, friends and co-workers. However, less than half of the survey respondents say they were very likely to perform CPR on a stranger.

Physical appearance was a significant factor in deciding on whether to perform CPR on a stranger. A disheveled or sloppy-looking man was the least likely to receive CPR, the survey found.

The survey, conducted March 26 to 29, has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.