Walsh, W. A., & Jones, L. M.2019-01-302019-01-302016Walsh, W. A., & Jones, L. M. (2016). A statewide study of the public's knowledge of child abuse reporting laws. Journal of public child welfare, 10(5), 561-579.http://unh.edu/ccrc/pdf/Final%20Reporting%20Bulletin%20Public%20Perceptions.pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/4192Universal mandated reporting laws on child abuse require all individuals to inform CPS agencies of suspected child abuse and neglect. Nineteen states currently have such laws, yet it is not clear how much knowledge the public has about this policy. To help inform directions for child abuse reporting policy reforms, we conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of adults (N=509) about their knowledge of child abuse reporting policies in a state with a universal reporting policy. The public’s understanding of child abuse reporting policies was mixed. Only one in four respondents correctly answered at least five of the six questions correctly, with 5% answering all six questions correctly. A substantial minority (39%) were not aware they were required to report suspected maltreatment, most (71%) were not aware that children are not automatically removed from the home if there is maltreatment, and most (61%) were not aware that they could be charged with a misdemeanor for failing to report a suspicion of child abuse. When asked about barriers, respondents rated worries that reporting would not help the child higher than discomfort intervening in another family’s activities. These findings imply a need for improving impressions of child protective service agencies and countering misperceptions about how they work with children and families. More research is needed about what types of messages are effective and what impact they have on the ultimate goal of increasing child safetyen-USmandatory reportinglawchild abusepublic awarenessArticle