Tattoos

iReach Insights Press Release   

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• 71% of people in Ireland think people are perceived differently if they have a tattoo.
• 27% of those aged 16-34 have at least one tattoo.
• 54% of adults in Ireland believe that tattoos still have negative connotations associated with them.
• Of those who have a tattoo/tattoos, 43% got it in memory of someone or something.
• 32% of people got their tattoo when they were 18 years old or younger.
• 57% of adults in Ireland consider tattoos to be an art form.

Tattoos are becoming increasingly popular, especially with the younger age groups, and we want to find out if the negative connotations that used to be associated with tattoos, are still maintained in today’s modern society. In our recent survey, iReach Insights asked 1,000 adults across Ireland about their opinions on tattoos and their own tattoos.

The survey questions were included in the Nationally Representative iReach Consumer Decisions Omnibus run between of 8^th of September and the 15^th of September and has a 3% Confidence Interval and 95% Confidence Level.

One in five adults in Ireland say they have at least one tattoo. This figure increases considerably with the younger age cohort. Over one in four (27%) aged 16-34 year olds have a tattoo, one in five (20%) 25-54-year olds do and Less that one in ten (7%) over those over 55+ have a tattoo. Despite that fact the more people are getting tattoos over half (54%) of adults in Ireland believe that tattoos still have negative connotations associated with them.

Of those who don’t have a tattoo (80%), we asked “Would you ever consider getting a tattoo?” The majority wouldn’t consider getting a tattoo (62%), but this number shifts depending on your age (16-34 year: 44%, 35-54: 63%, 55+:87%). 15% would consider it (more likely the younger you are) and 23% might consider it.

Of those (20%) who do have a tattoo, the top 3 reasons for getting inked are; 1. 47% of people like the look of them, 2. 43% got it in memory of someone or something and 3. 28% wanted to express creativity. And where do people like to get tattooed? The most popular parts of the body are; back (36%), shoulders (28%), ankle/foot (25%), wrist (21%) and arm (14%). These differ dramatically when it comes to gender – more females (35%) get tattooed on their ankle/foot than males (7%). Likewise, more females (43%) have tattoos on their back compared to males (28%). Males (19%) are more likely to get inked on their arms than females (10%).

Astonishingly, there is no legislations regulating tattooing in Ireland, meaning there is no legal minimum age. However, many tattoo parlours will refuse to tattoo people under the age of 18. Considering this we asked how old people were when they got their first tattoo. One third (32%) of people got their first tattoo when they were 18 or under, 59% of people got it between the ages of 19-35 and 9% of people got their first tattoo when they were 35 or older. Only 16% of people regret having a got a tattoo, interestingly more females (24%) regret it than males (7%).

To find out the Irish public’s view on tattoos and whether there is still a stigma around tattoos we asked some questions and looked to see what the Irish public think. Over two thirds (71%) of people think that people are perceived differently if they have a tattoo and 39% think tattoo make you look more common. However, 57% of adults in Ireland think tattoos are an art form and 33% think that people should not be free to display them in the workplace.

Although one in five people in Ireland have a tattoo, or many tattoos, there is still seems to be a stigma surrounding tattoos.
Having a tattoo/tattoos may be an art form and a way to express yourself and creativity, but there is no denying that there is still a negative social stigma associated with tattoos in Irish society.

For more information on these research findings please feel free to call iReach on 01-2143740 or email Oisin at oisin.byrne@ireachhq.com

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