Abstract

This study looked at the current stance of the general public on acceptability of visible tattoos in the workplace. Participants included ages 18 to 66, which were recruited from Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. Participants took part in an online Qualtrics survey consisting of 25 questions. These questions involved demographics, opinions on acceptability of tattoos in the workplace, factors took into thought when deciding if tattoos should be acceptable in the workplace, as well as questions relating to stereotypes of people that have tattoos. My hypotheses were 1) More people will claim tattoos are acceptable than they are unacceptable in the workplace; 2) The participants age, gender, and whether they have tattoos themselves will factor into their perception of acceptability of tattoos in the workplace; 3) Other factors such as type of workplace, as well as placement and size of the tattoo will factor into the perception of acceptability of tattoos in the workplace; 4) People hold negative stereotypes against people with tattoos. The results showed that 86.4% of participants said tattoos are more acceptable in some workplaces than others. In regard to negative stereotypes toward people with tattoos, 82% did not hold any negative stereotypes, and less than 1% held strong negative stereotypes. This study can help current youth as well as anyone going into a new workplace decide if they should get a tattoo, or on placement of their tattoo. It can also help current employers reexamine at their policy on tattoos based on the current norms of society.

Recommended Citation

Hamilton, Megan (2019) "Tattoos in the Workplace," Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 21, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/psych_journals/vol1/iss21/4