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Background In the developed world, cardiovascular diseases still contribute to mortality and morbidity, leading to significantly increased deaths in recent years. Thus, it is necessary for a layperson to provide the best possible basic life support (BLS) until professional help is available. Since information on current BLS knowledge in Germany is not available, but necessary to be able to make targeted improvements in BLS education, we conducted this study. Methods A cohort survey using convenience sampling (non-probability) method was conducted with questions found in emergency medicine education. People coming to the emergency room of two big university hospitals located in the South (Munich) and western part (Cologne) of Germany were asked to participate in the survey between 2016 and 2017. Primary outcome measures were the proportion of correct answers for each emergency scenario in relationship to age, region, profession and first-aid training. Results Altogether 1003 people (504 from Cologne; 499 from Munich) took part in the questionnaire. 54.7% were female and 45.3% were male aging from 19 to 52 with a mean of 37.2 years. Although over 90% had taken part in first aid training, many people were lacking first aid knowledge, with less than 10% choosing the correct frequency for chest compression. Hereby demographic factors had a significant influence (p<0.05) in the given answers (Friedmann-and-Wilcoxon Test). Conclusion Overall, results of our survey indicate a clear lack of BLS knowledge. With this information, targeted measures for improving BLS knowledge should be conducted. Additionally, further studies on the feasibility and efficiency of teaching methods are needed