One in Five U.S. Adults Now Has a Tattoo

From: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/mid/1508/articleId/970/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/Default.aspx

Yet over two in five without a tattoo say adults with tattoos are less attractive

NEW YORK , N.Y. - February 23, 2012 - There is a lot of culture and lore associated with tattoos from ancient art to modern expressionism and there are many reasons people choose to get, or not get, permanent body ink. A recent Harris Poll looks at the number of Americans who currently have tattoos, and what those tattoos may say about them.
These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,016 adults surveyed online between January 16 and 23, 2012 by Harris Interactive.

Currently one in five U.S. adults has at least one tattoo (21%) which is up from the 16% and 14% who reported having a tattoo when this question was asked in 2003 and 2008, respectively. Tattoos seem to be most prevalent in the West-26% of adults in that region report having at least one-compared to fewer in the East (21%), Midwest (21%) and South (18%). Adults aged 30-39 are most likely to have a tattoo (38%) compared to both those younger (30% of those 25-29 and 22% of those 18-24) and older (27% of those 40-49, 11% of those 50-64 and just 5% of those 65 and older). Women are slightly more likely than men, for the first time since this question was first asked, to have a tattoo (now 23% versus 19%).

Among those with a tattoo, most have never regretted getting a tattoo (86%) and three in ten say it makes them feel more sexy (30%). One-quarter say having a tattoo makes them feel rebellious (25%), 21% say both it makes them feel attractive or strong, 16% say it makes them feel spiritual and fewer say it makes them feel more healthy (9%), intelligent (8%) or athletic (5%).
However, among those without tattoos the opinions differ:

• At least two in five say that people with tattoos are less attractive (45%) or sexy (39%);
• One-quarter say that people with tattoos are less intelligent (27%), healthy (25%) or spiritual (25%);
• However, having a tattoo seems to make little difference in non-tattooed people's perceptions regarding strength and athleticism (82% say it makes no difference); yet,
• Half of those without a tattoo say people with tattoos are more rebellious (50%).

This idea connecting tattoos with rebelliousness is not new, however, it may be waning. In 2008 among all adults (whether or not they had a tattoo) almost three in ten said that people with tattoos are more likely to do something most people consider deviant (29%) while 2% said people with tattoos were less likely to do something deviant and 69% said it made no difference. Today, the number of people who say adults with tattoos are more likely to do something most people consider deviant has dropped to 24%, and the number of people who say it makes no difference has gone up, to 74%.
Looking at some other forms of body art or expression, currently 49% of U.S. adults have pierced ears, which is consistent with the 50% who reported having pierced ears in 2008. Although ear piercing is fairly common, other piercings are not: only 7% say they have a piercing elsewhere on their body and 4% report having a facial piercing not on the ear. Only 1% of U.S. adults say that they currently have a henna, or non-permanent, tattoo.
Although tattoos may be gaining popularity (or at least frequency) among U.S. adults, the majority think that one should be an adult before being able to get a tattoo-84% of U.S. adults say that young people should be between 18 and 21 years of age before they are able to get a tattoo without parental permission. 8% think those 16 or 17 should be allowed to get tattoos and 6% say that the age limit should be 22 years or older.

So What?

Tattoos have long been a hobby for some, and with the recent proliferation of tattoo-related television shows, it seems interest in them may be broadening. Today 21% of U.S. adults report having a tattoo which is up from previous years. It seems that with the increasing number of adults with tattoos this permanent body art is becoming more accepted - fewer people think it is related to deviant behavior than before - yet among those without tattoos there are still several negative stigmas associated with having tattoos. It will be interesting to see how these trends evolve in the future - if more people continue to get tattoos will the negative connotations decline, or will the percentage of Americans with tattoos begin to stagnate or wane and the stigmas hold?

Goodbye . . . Again

My formerly troubled daughter is moving out again. This time, she’s not in trouble, she’s not moving in with a boyfriend, and she’s not angry. She’s simply ready to move out and be out from under my iron fist.

Ha. Iron fist. Since she moved home in the summer, I’ve barely seen her and she chooses not to make time for me. Sure, we’ve had a lunch or two, but she seldom comes home before four in the morning. She’s living a pretty secret life. I truly don’t know what she does with her time and space and I’ve given up trying to figure it out or be part of her world. She is pleasant and we don’t fight ever. I give myself credit for that. I’ve learned to simply reduce the number of questions I ask: #1 because I don’t want to hear the true answers, #2 because I don’t want to fight, and #3 because she’ll just lie anyway.

Here’s what I know—she lost weight, she may or may not be going to school, she pierced her nipples (and showed me), she sleeps all day (if she’s home), and she’s spent a boatload of money on new clothes, makeup, manicures, pedicures, and lingerie. She’s paying for her car, she’s taken some road trips, she broke up with the deadbeat boyfriend, and has rekindled friendships with old coworkers and high school classmates.

She rekindles in an interesting way. One morning I came home from an overnight, and she was in bed sleeping with a guy friend from work, whom she said she didn’t like anymore. He’s too needy and has a strange temper she once told me. Apparently, she couldn’t sleep and he was happy to come over in the middle of the night and talk to her (while spooning) until they fell asleep. How sweet. Plausible? Ridiculous? This was two days after she brought the boy she knew in high school to Thanksgiving dinner—a boy who clearly lusts after her. She went camping with this boy (while still dating the loser boyfriend) and has slept over his house on many occasions. She became reacquainted with this boy, by the way, by frequenting a strip mall liquor store. Nice, huh? It’s not like we live in a hick town and that’s the only place for young people to hang out. This is a big city with fascinating cultural events and activities of all kinds to pique one’s interest. My daughter, since about 16 it turns out, thinks the lowlife liquor store is the place she belongs (when she’s not at her piercing/tattooing “salon”).

So, her lifestyle once again disgusts me, embarrasses me, and makes me sad. I still don’t believe that she’s working at the great job she had for two  years. I’ve offered to bring lunch to her and she talks her way out of it. Sometimes I’ve caught her home at times that she’d normally be at work, and she has an excuse for that too (like, “It was slow and I didn’t want to mess up my great stats, so they let me leave early”). She’s been spending money, paying bills, and fixing her credit problems, so I know she’s making a living somehow, I just don’t think I’m sure how. Lingerie, odd hours, down about 10 pounds, pampering…what’s going on?

If we have to talk bottom line(s), I’m glad she’s moving out. I’m a nervous wreck with her lifestyle and since she’s almost 19, there’s little that I can do about anything. I only have a say in what I’ll tolerate in my home, so it’s appropriate for her not to live under my roof—with my stodgy rules. She can go be on her own, be gross, pierce and tattoo whatever she wants, and leave me out of it. She can smoke and be a slob, clog up her toilet, and fill her fridge with Red Bulls and it won’t affect me. She says she’s got everything under control, doesn’t need any help with decisions, counseling, medical needs, money, school, moving . . . nothing. So good for her.

Here’s what’s going to come of it . . . we’ll have no relationship. Picture an old car being towed, fastened to the truck by a frayed rope. The rope snaps and the disabled vehicle is left behind on the freeway, in the way, more useless than before. That’s where our connection will stand within a few months.

I truly believe that she won’t go to school, she’ll hook up with one useless boyfriend after another—maybe some useless girlfriends—and the distance will grow until I hear that she’s moved to Milwaukee or Long Beach some other strange place and wanted to say hi and send me a picture of her newest tattoo or cat.

I’m sad and I miss the little girl that could’ve been an outstanding young woman. She won’t let me in, won’t let me help. So I’m out and I’m helpless.