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The purpose of the present study was to find answers to the following questions:
1. Do college students have tattoos?
2. What are the reasons for students whether to get tattoos?
3. Do college students think that having tattoos will hinder them from getting a job in
the future?
Method
Participants
The sample consisted of students enrolled in students perspectives on getting tattoo
research in a college which locate in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The students perspectives on
getting tattoo research are required of all students who take programme in Pre-University,
diploma, undergraduate, or professional accounting. There are 10 surveys that have
administered by researchers. Among 10 surveys, 2 females and 8 males have completed the
research. Moreover, there are 3 undergraduate students, 4 diploma students and 3 professional
accounting students are recorded in the student classification as part of the reports. In the
terms of age, the sample consisted of 1 male in the 23-25 bracket, 5 males in the 20-22
bracket, 2 males in the 17-19 bracket, 2 female in the 23-25 bracket.
Instruments
A survey entitled Students Perspectives on Getting Tattoo was developed for this
study. The main three demographic questions: gender, age, student classification, two
questions about students idea of getting tattoo for themselves, two questions about reasons
for students to get tattoo or not to get tattoo, one question for expression after having tattoo
for tattooed student, one question for the consideration of bringing trouble if students have
tattoo, one questions for them to think about impaction of tattoo to their future career and
another one question for acceptance of invisible tattoo in working area are recorded as survey
questions and also part of main information sources.
Results
College students with tattoo
Total responses for number of college students with tattoo are shown in Table 1.
Among 10 respondents, only 10% of the respondents (n = 1) reported having tattoo. Also,
10% of the respondents (n = 1) reported having one tattoo in college life. At the other end of
the continuum, 90% of students (n = 9) surveyed responded having no tattoo in college life.
Table 1
Number of college students with tattoo
Number of tattoos
0
1
2
3 and above
Number of students
9
1
0
0
Percentage of students
90
10
0
0
Total responses for gender of college students with tattoo are shown in Table 2. Of 10
respondents, 8 of male respondents responded only 12.5% of them (n = 1) have tattoo and
87.5% of them (n = 7) have no tattoo. On the other hand, 2 of female respondents reported
100% of them (n = 2) have no tattoo.
Table 2
Gender of college students with tattoo
Gender
Male
Female
Number of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
1
7
0
2
Percentage of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
12.5
87.5
0.0
100.0
Total responses for age of college students with tattoo are shown in Table 3. There are
2 students which are age of 17-19 responded 100% of them (n = 2) have no tattoo. Besides, 5
respondents which in the 20-22 age range reported 20% of them (n = 1) have tattoo and 80%
of them (n = 4) have no tattoo. Another 3 respondents with age of 23-25 responded 100% of
them have no tattoo (n = 3).
Table 3
Age of college students with tattoo
Age
17-19
20-22
23-25
26 and above
Number of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
0
2
1
4
0
3
0
0
Percentage of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
0
100
20
80
0
100
0
0
Total responses for classification of college students with tattoo are shown in Table 4.
There are 4 diploma students reported 25% of them (n = 1) have tattoo and 75% of them (n =
3) have no tattoo. Then, there are 3 undergraduate students responded 100% of them (n = 3)
have no tattoo. Among 3 professional accounting students, 100% of them (n = 3) have no
tattoo.
Table 4
Classification of college students with tattoo
Programme
Pre-University
Diploma
Undergraduate
Professional accounting
Number of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
0
0
1
3
0
3
0
3
Percentage of students
With tattoo
No tattoo
0
0
25
75
0
100
0
100
Total responses for consideration of getting tattoo of college students are shown in
Table 5. Of 10 respondents, only 20% of respondents (n = 2) are considering to get tattoo in
future. Another 80% of respondents (n = 8) are not considering to get tattoo in future.
Table 5
Consideration of getting tattoo of college students
Consideration of getting tattoo
Yes
No
Number of students
2
8
Percentage of students
20
80
There are two respondents with no tattoo had misunderstood the question as they had
responded they have no regret about having tattoo so that the result of these respondents is
not be taken.
Total responses for college students have regretted having tattoos are shown in Table
6. There are only 12.5% of respondents (n = 1) reported they are not regret to have tattoo.
Besides that, 87.5% of respondents (n = 7) responded that they do not regret to have tattoo
because they have no tattoo.
Table 6
College students have regretted having tattoo
Regret having tattoo
Yes
No
Dont have tattoo
Number of students
0
1
7
Percentage of students
0
12.5
87.5
Number of students
3
2
1
2
Percentage of students
30
20
10
20
Total responses for reasons for college students not to get tattoo are shown in Table 8.
Most of the college students which are 40% students (n = 4) not consider to get tattoo due to
negative impression. Religion is one of the reason for 20% of students (n = 2) not to get
tattoo. While the another 40% (n = 4) of participants do not consider to get tattoo due to
disapproval of family, fear, skin allergy, and others where each occupies 10%.
Table 8
Reasons for college students not to get tattoo
Reasons not to get tattoo
Negative impression
Religion
Skin allergy
Disapproval of family
Fear
Others
Number of students
4
2
1
1
1
1
Percentage of students
40
20
10
10
10
10
College students perspectives on whether having tattoo will hinder future job
opportunities
There is one respondent misunderstood the questions so that the result of this
respondent is not be taken.
Total responses for college students perspectives on whether tattoo as a trouble in
future job application which had deducted one error result are shown in Table 9. There are
55.6% of the respondents (n = 5) agree with tattooed college students will face trouble in
future job application while another 44.4% of the respondents (n = 4) disagree with that.
Table 9
College students perspectives on whether tattoo as a trouble in future job application
Tattoo as trouble in future job
application
Agree
Disagree
Number of students
Percentage of students
5
4
55.6
44.4
Total respondents for college students perspectives on whether invisible tattoo can be
accepted in working area are shown in Table 10. There are 100% of respondents (n = 9) agree
with that invisible can be accepted in working area. On the other hand, there is 0% of the
respondents (n = 0) disagree with that invisible tattoo can be accepted in working area.
Table 10
College students perspectives on whether invisible tattoo can be accepted in working area
Invisible tattoo can be
accepted in working area
Agree
Disagree
Number of students
Percentage of students
9
0
100
0
10
Discussion
Conclusion
College students with tattoo
Among 10 respondents, the results reported that there are 10% of the college students
(n = 1) with tattoo. In Malaysia, high school students are not allowed to have tattoos because
having tattoo is against school rules. As a result, students are more likely to be getting a tattoo
in their college life as there is no such a strict rule for tattoo in college. Besides, Travis (2011)
reported that of 87 respondents in the survey, 42.5% of college students (n = 37) responded
they have tattoo.
In addition, the findings also reported that mostly tattooed students are male as there
are only 10% male tattooed student (n = 1) among 10 college students. Indeed, according to
the poll conducted by Oxygen Media (2012), men said they got a tattoo are cultural or
religious reasons, to show loyalty and also express patriotism. According to Agustin (2011),
the survey results showed that there are average of 14.62% male college students (n = 31)
with tattoo and 56.13% female college students (n = 116) with tattoo.
Besides that, according to the findings, there are 12.5% of students (n = 1) responded
that they have no regret about having tattoo. Of course, there are some reasons of regretting
reasons such as the tattoo has no meaning, bad tattoo drawing and also change of beliefs.
(Aversari, 2012). According to YouGov (2015), among 1669 respondents, there is average of
14.02% of respondents (n = 234) regret getting tattoo and 85.98% of respondents (n = 1435)
have no regretted having tattoo.
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