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Objectives: To investigate public awareness of colorectal cancer (three components: total knowledge, confidence and anticipated delay) in the Chinese population, to explore factors associated with total knowledge and to elucidate relationships among three components of public awareness of colorectal cancer. Methods: We recruited 562 adult Chinese participants with no history of colorectal cancer between March and May 2020 by convenience sampling method. Data were collected online using a self‐designed demographic questionnaire and a simplified Chinese version of the Bowel Cancer Awareness Measure. Univariate analysis and multivariate linear regression were applied. Results: The mean score for total knowledge was 10.56 (SD: 5.89). Over half of the participants (58.2%) lacked confidence about detecting warning signs. For 42.7% of participants, the anticipated delay was not within the acceptable range (2 weeks). Totally eight demographic variables were identified as significant predictors of total knowledge, accounting for 36.2% of the variance. Total knowledge was positively correlated with confidence (r = 0.126, p < 0.01) and negatively associated with anticipated delay (F = 8.891, p < 0.01). Conclusion: Public awareness of colorectal cancer was low in the Chinese population. Hence, educational interventions targeted for improving knowledge, enhancing individuals' confidence in detecting symptoms and reducing barriers to seeking medical help may be urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]