Action for Children has said more than a third of adults are also very or quite worried about the safety of a child in their neighbourhood, up 8 percent since last year.
The charity is calling for a national strategy on child neglect that includes a public awareness campaign containing clear, concise information about where children and adults can seek advice and report their fears.
Nearly half of children also said they needed more information about where to go with their worries.
"Friends, neighbours, the owner of a local corner shop - these individuals within a community can be crucial to a child's safety by acting on their concerns," said Sir Tony Hawkshead, chief executive of Action for Children on Premier.
"While our figures suggest an encouraging increase in public awareness of child neglect, it is a scandal that people simply don't know what to do when they think a child is not being cared for or where to go to raise the alarm that a child in their street may be in serious danger.
"Neglect is our biggest problem, the number one reason for child protection referrals to social services, but there is no vision to tackle it. To protect more children, we need a national strategy to command political and public support for change: only this commitment from government will truly change children's lives," added Sir Tony.
