According to a recent survey, nearly one in five adult New Zealanders have been tattooed, and surprisingly, women are more likely to get one than both men and young people.
A UMR Research survey of people aged 18 years and over indicated 19 percent of adults have been tattooed, with the rate rising to 36 percent among the adults younger than 30.
Overall, 22 percent of women have been tattooed, compared with 17 percent of men.
Cultural divide
And there was an even bigger split on ethnic lines: almost half (47 percent) of Maori and Pacific Islanders had been tattooed but only 15 percent of other ethnicities.
"Polynesians gave the English language the word tattoo which is derived from the Samoan word tatau, so it should be no surprise that Pacific Islanders and Maori were also far more likely to have had tattoos than others," said a director of the research company, Tim Grafton.
Almost one third (32 percent) of parents with dependent children had a tattoo compared to 13 percent of the rest of the adult population.
Regrets? Na bro!
Few of those surveyed had any regrets, with 85 percent of people with a tattoo saying they did not regret it. Although out of the small minority that did, men were slightly more likely to have regrets than women. “The biggest reason for regretting a tattoo was getting someone’s name,” Tim says. “Guys are surprisingly sentimental when it comes to love lasting forever, whereas women aren’t that stupid.”
If you want to join the growing percentage of Kiwis with a tattoo, then give Sunset studio a call today. Our friendly, professional and experienced staff will be happy to have a chat with you about what you are looking for. Even if it’s your girlfriend’s name…