Tattoos have become a more common sight in workplaces around the United States, even making appearances among members of the U.S. House and Senate. Amid this shift, a large majority of U.S. Adults say society has become more accepting of people with tattoos in recent decades, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. And 32% of adults have a tattoo themselves, including 22% who have more than one.
Here’s a closer look at Americans and tattoos, based on the new survey:
Which Americans are most likely to have a tattoo?
The likelihood of having a tattoo varies by several demographic factors.
Gender: 38% of women have at least one tattoo, compared with 27% of men. This includes 56% of women ages 18 to 29 and 53% of women ages 30 to 49.
Race and ethnicity: 39% of Black Americans have a tattoo, compared with 35% of Hispanic, 32% of White and 14% of Asian Americans.
Age: Adults under 50 are especially likely to have a tattoo. Some 41% of those under 30 have at least one, as do 46% of those ages 30 to 49. This compares with a quarter of adults ages 50 to 64 and 13% of those 65 and older.
Education: 37% of those with some college or less education have a tattoo, compared with 24% of those with a bachelor’s degree and 21% of those with a postgraduate degree.
Income: 43% of lower-income adults have a tattoo, compared with 31% of those in middle-income households and 21% of those in upper-income households.
Religion: 41% of religiously unaffiliated adults have at least one tattoo, compared with 29% of those who are affiliated with a religion.
Sexual orientation: Around half of lesbian, gay or bisexual Americans (51%) have at least one tattoo. The share is especially high among women in this group: 68% are tattooed, including 55% who have more than one tattoo. By comparison, 31% of straight Americans have at least one tattoo.
What are the most common reasons for getting a tattoo?
The new survey also asked tattooed Americans why they have a tattoo.
The most commonly cited reason is to honor or remember someone or something: 69% of tattooed adults say this is either a major or minor reason they got any of their tattoos. Just under half (47%) say they got a tattoo to make a statement about what they believe, and 32% say they got at least one to improve their personal appearance.
Here, too, there are some demographic differences. For example, women are 10 percentage points more likely than men to say remembering or honoring someone or something is a reason they have a tattoo (73% vs. 63%).
Some 56% of Black adults say making a statement about what they believe is a reason for their tattoo, compared with 46% of Hispanic adults and 44% of White adults. And 42% of Black adults say improving their personal appearance is a reason, while roughly three-in-ten Hispanic and White adults say the same. (The sample size for tattooed Asian Americans is too small to analyze separately.)
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