Tattoo Takeover: Three in Ten Americans Have Tattoos, and Most Don't Stop at Just One

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Tattoos can take any number of forms, from animals to quotes to cryptic symbols, and appear in all sorts of spots on our bodies – some visible in everyday life, others not so much. But one thing's for sure – more and more Americans are getting them. About three in ten Americans (29%) have at least one tattoo, up from roughly two in ten (21%) just four years ago. What's more, few inked Americans stop at one; among those with any tattoos, seven in ten (69%) have two or more.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,225 U.S. adults surveyed online from October 14-19, 2015. Full results of this study, including data tables, can be found here.

Tattoos are especially prevalent among younger Americans, with nearly half of Millennials (47%) and over a third of Gen Xers (36%) saying they have at least one, compared to 13% of Baby Boomers and one in ten Matures (10%). Millennials and Gen Xers (37% and 24%) are also exponentially more likely than their elders (6% Baby Boomers, 2% Matures) to have multiple tattoos.

Some other interesting comparisons:

• Rural (35%) and Urban (33%) Americans are both more likely to have a tattoo than Suburbanites (25%).
• Those with kids in the household are much more likely than those without to be sporting at least one tattoo (43% vs. 21%).
• Political persuasion doesn't seem to factor into the decision to get a tattoo, with little difference between Republicans, Democrats and Independents (27%, 29% and 28%).

Regrets, I've had a few
With tattoos on the rise, regrets have risen as well; though a strong majority still has no regrets, nearly one fourth (23%) of those with tattoos say they ever regret getting one – up from 14% in 2012.

Top-ranked regrets (collected in an open-ended manner) include:

• Too young when they got the tattoo,
• Personality changes/Doesn't fit my present lifestyle,
• Got someone's name that I'm no longer with,
• Poorly done/Doesn't look professional, and
• Isn't meaningful.

Hooked on a feeling
A third (33%) of inked adults indicate having a tattoo has made them feel sexy (up marginally from 30% in 2012). Roughly a third also say that it makes them feel attractive (32%), though it's worth noting that this percentage has grown considerably from 21% in 2012. Just over a quarter (27%) say it makes them feel more rebellious and two in ten (20%) feel more spiritual as a result of their tattoos. Fewer say it makes them feel more intelligent (13%), respected (13%), employable (10%) and healthy (9%). 

Perhaps the more important learning, though, is that most say that having a tattoo hasn't made them feel any different on any of these measures.

Outside impressions
Opinions differ more broadly among those without tattoos:

• Nearly half (45%) feel those with tattoos are more rebellious than those without – though it's worth noting that this percentage continues to decline (54% held this belief in 2008; 50% in 2012), likely a byproduct of tattoos' continued trend toward the mainstream.
• On the other end of the scale, nearly half feel those with tattoos are less attractive (47%) than those without, 44% feel they're less sexy and a third (34%) believe them to be less respectable.
• Meanwhile, between a quarter and three in ten think those with tattoos are less intelligent (29%), healthy (28%) and spiritual (25%).

Across professions, visible tattoos no big deal
Further driving home the message of tattoos going mainstream, majorities of Americans would be comfortable seeing a person with visible tattoos serve in roles across a diverse range of industries and professions. Comfort ranges from highs of 86% for athletes, 81% for IT technicians and 78% for chefs, to lower majorities of 59% each for primary school teachers and judges, and even 58% for presidential candidates.

• More specifically, many Americans - particularly Millennials – would be "extremely comfortable" with someone with visible tattoos in these professions – including police officers (39%, including 54% of Millennials), real estate brokers (37%/52%), bankers (36%/50%), doctors (35%/51%), judges (34%/49%) and presidential candidates (32%/46%).

That's all well and good, but parents are likely to have a whole different set of standards when it comes to who interacts with their kids, right? Wrong. In fact, a separate poll of parents with kids under 18 in the household found that strong majorities are comfortable (roughly four in ten of them "extremely" so) with people sporting visible tattoos serving in a number of positions that involve interacting with the kiddos:

• Coach (81% comfortable, 39% extremely comfortable),
• High school teacher (75%, 39%),
• Camp counselor (73%, 36%),
• Sitter/Caregiver (73%, 37%),
• Primary school teacher (71%, 37%), and
• Pediatrician (71%, 40%).

To see other recent Harris Polls, visit us at TheHarrisPoll.com.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between October 14 and 19, 2015 among 2,225 adults (aged 18 and over). Additional polling was conducted online in the United States between November 6 and 16, 2015 among 1,093 parents (aged 18 and over) with children under 18 in the household. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

The Harris Poll^® #12, February 10, 2016
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll^®
Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, please visit our new website, TheHarrisPoll.com.

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