Protective measures such as washing hands, wearing masks and exercising can effectively prevent people from getting infected [4–5]. 87.8% (CI:86.6%–89.0%) subjects chose five or six items among all six measures provided. However, 36.3% (34.6%–38.0%) of subjects who would wear mask cannot wear it correctly, with common mistakes of nose exposure to the air and long-time mask wear without replacement. Males (OR: 0.544, 95% CI: 0.440–0.673), younger adults (1.844, 1.466–2.320), and subjects with higher education (2.200, 1.780–2.718) were associated with better behaviours. Our study indicates that general public in China has high concerns on the NCIP in its rapid development phrase of the outbreak. Among all subjects, 85.9% (84.7–87.1%) believed that the plague could be controlled within 3 months due to the stringent measures advocated by government. As the NCIP outbreak continues, further understanding of the infection will help to adjust strategies for public’ health education.