I'm tempted to use the old line: "Ain't no cure for stupid". But your probably right that most people wouldn't have a clue.

Not so much because they are stupid as that thinking about survival is just not something they do very often. Their lives are full of making a living, getting the kids off to school, cooking and cleaning. In other words, doing all those things necessary to survive in normal times. They go to bed exhausted and get up tired and do it all over again. Their plate is full.

Ideally a person would get some training on what was in the kit and how it all might be used to deal with various situations. A pamphlet explaining it might help but when your nervous and worried in the middle of a situation is not the best time to start learning unfamiliar concepts. But it may be the best you can manage.

That said I have found that people can often surprise you and find effective and creative uses for stuff. It is certain that if they don't have it to work with they aren't going to use it.

Within reasonable limits of bulk and weight more is generally better than less. A band-aid is good if you cut a finger. But a band-aid is nearly useless if the person has serious bleeding. From the other end you can cut the corner off a 4x4 piece of gauze and hold it in place with a piece of duct tape. Making an effective band-aid.