In a survey done a few years back in the U.S., about 16% of respondents have at least one tattoo. That is about 1 in 6 people or 40 million Americans and the popularity among both sexes are about the same.

Of all the respondents with tattoos, more females (42%) felt that having a tattoo made them feel sexier versus males (25%). The differences in thought between the female and male are to be expected since traditionally the females are more inclined to accessorize (i.e. makeup and lingerie) to be attractive. About a third (29%) felt the tattoos made them more rebellious and the same percentage for feeling attractive. As expected, not many people (around 5%) felt their tattoos made them more intelligent or healthy or athletic.

Of those respondents who do not have tattoos, 42% felt that people with tattoos are less attractive and 36% thought it made those with a tattoo less sexy. About a third (31%) thought people with a tattoo would be less intelligent and 57% thought it made the person more rebellious. My take on this is that it really depends on the tattoo design; some tattoos are tastefully done and are works of art.

One interesting difference between the tattoo haves and have-nots is the notion of rebelliousness (29% vs. 57%). The percentage gap likely will slowly close as people change their perception of tattoos and the art gets more accepted as a form of self expression without the negative connotations.

Only 17% who had tattoo regret their decision. The main reasons are that they had a named tattoo, do not like the design they picked, the design tends to fade with passage of time, the decision to get a tattoo was stupid, it was more visible than what they envisioned, and they had trouble getting jobs.

In summary, ensure that you do some thorough research before making a tattoo design decision. You can find great tattoo ideas and designs on the internet. Keep in mind that your decision can impact your social life, career, and ultimately your self image.