Only 16% of Italians would respond to a cardiac arrest with appropriate first aid treatments such as cardiac massage and the use of an automated defibrillator. 29% of the population would just call for assistance, 21% would offer support but not take direct action, 32% would only act if given instructions over the phone, and 2% would not intervene at all. Fear of worsening the situation (56%), as well as a lack of knowledge of emergency measures (42%), are among the most common barriers. This is the result of an Opinion Leader 4 Future Observatory study. Although 63% of Italians claim to be somewhat (57%) or extremely (6%) knowledgeable about cardiac arrest, only 24% could define it correctly, and just 11% would be able to distinguish it from a heart attack. Participation in first aid courses remains low, however 84% of those who have never taken a course would be interested in attending even a brief training session lasting 4-5 hours.