One in three Britons unaware choking can be fatal in minutes

One in three Britons, 32%, do not recognise choking can become life-threatening in minutes without first aid, according to new research* from St John Ambulance.

And less than half the population, 42%, know how to stop someone choking by giving back blows and abdominal thrusts, despite a third, 32%, reporting they’ve choked to the point of panic because they couldn’t breathe.

The health charity shared the findings as it launches its annual Save a Life September campaign, which this year aims to teach half a million people life-saving skills through free demonstrations and online guidance.

Next month [Sept] thousands of St John volunteers across the country will show people how to respond to choking – from which nearly 300 people die each year in England, including children**. They will also teach the response to cardiac arrest and severe bleeding, including how to do CPR and use a defibrillator.

A St John Volunteer demonstrating baby first aid to a toddler, using a baby manikin.

The research of 2,000 Britons, also showed:

A fifth, 20%, wrongly believe you should help a choking person by using fingers to pull the blockage out and more than a tenth, 13%, wrongly said you should tell them to drink water
Nearly one in five, 19%, have never heard of an abdominal thrust or Heimlich Manoeuvre, as it was formerly known
Nearly six in 10, 57%, would expect restaurant staff to step in first if someone were choking
The top five choking items named by respondents were meat, sweets, nuts, pizza and fruit
Nearly a quarter, 23%, have never learned first aid
A quarter, 25%, would panic if they came across a serious health emergency
A tenth, 10%, of people say they’re unlikely to provide first aid to a relative or friend in a medical emergency and 18% say they’re unlikely to help a stranger
45% agreed communities would be safer if more people learned first aid

Community education partner at St John Ambulance, Jordan Davison, said: "Choking is often dismissed as a minor incident, but the consequences can be devastating.

"Tragically too many people die because those around them do not have the knowledge or confidence to intervene.

"This September, we're urging people to take a few minutes to learn these essential first aid skills.

"Through St John Ambulance's videos and public demonstrations, people can learn simple, life-saving skills that could help them save a loved one, friend, colleague or even a stranger.

“Our volunteers will be out in communities across the country, putting the power of first aid into more people's hands.”

Since re-launching its Save a Life September campaign in 2024, St John Ambulance has taught more than 800,000 people vital first aid. For information about first aid and the public awareness sessions, people are urged to visit Save a Life September.

* The research commissioned by St John Ambulance was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2001 nationally representative respondents (UK).

** According to the latest ONS data, 1,460 people died from choking in England from 2020 to 2024 (average 292 per year) including 12 under-fives.

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