Research Proposal Draft
Research Proposal Draft
Male College Students Perception of Female College Students with Tattoos in the United States
SCOM 280: Introduction to Communication Research
Fall 2014
Abstract
This proposed study will examine male college students with tattoos and male college
students without tattoos and their difference in perception of females with tattoos. To conduct
the proposed study 367 male James Madison University students must complete an online
survey. The survey will be 28 questions in length and will have a Likert scale format. The
findings of this study will help expand on past studies and test how college males perceive
females with tattoos.
be approached by men than the same women without tattoos (Mehta, 2013). Surveying the men
who approached the women, Mehta (2013) found that the men thought the women with tattoos
were more promiscuous. The proposed research study will increase understanding of
perceptions of tattoos.
Another reason that this topic is important to research is because there have been many
studies that suggest an ongoing stigma associated with people with tattoos. For example,
Dickson, Dukes, Smith and Snapko (2014), in an experiment of tattoo stigma among college
students, found a correlation between tattooed respondents and the tendency to conceal them due
to experiences of tattoo stigma. Similarly, Martin, and Dula, (2010) found participants with
tattoos had less of a deviant stigma towards persons with tattoos than participants without
tattoos. However, Martin and Dula (2010) said that older common stereotypes supported by
literature and studies done with subpopulations may not hold true anymore. Thus the proposed
study can assist in finding if a stigma still exists for women with tattoos.
Finally, this study is important to research is because, although there have been studies
that have asked very similar questions to the proposed study, they have taken place in other
countries or happened over 10 years ago. Hawkes, Seen and Thorne (2004) studied the
perception Canadian undergraduate students had toward women with tattoos, and even though
this is the closest study to the United States it took place over 10 years ago. Gueguen (2013)
conducted an experiment in France about mens perceptions of women with tattoos. Lastly,
Swami and Furnham (2007) conducted a survey of the perceptions of female college students
with tattoos at two British universities. Thus, the proposed study can expand on the previous
findings from around the world by a focused population at an American university.
The purpose of this research is to expand on past studies and test how college males
perceive females with tattoos. The first section of this proposal will introduce related literature
to the research topic. The second section of this proposal will describe the methodology and
execution of the proposed study. The proposal will be concluded with a reminder of why this
proposal should be completed.
Literature Review
Topics related to the research question include: the stigma associated with tattoos, difference
in tattoo perception between genders, perception of women with tattoos, college students
perception of tattoos, and characteristics of people with tattoos. The literature was found through
various databases including Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, CINAHL Plus with Full
Text, SPORTDiscuss with Full Text, MEDLINE, OmniFile Full Text Mega, Business Source
Complete, and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. These key words were used to
find literature that pertained to the research question: stigma of tattoos, perceptions of women,
women and tattoos, men and tattoos, and college and tattoos. The scope of literature was
narrowed down by relevance according to age group, time relevance to study, and relevance
according to gender. This literature review will focus on three topics: research on who gets
tattoos, stigma associated with tattoos, and similar studies.
Research on Who Gets Tattoos
Studies on people with tattoos have become increasingly abundant in the past 10 years.
Just a few of the many topics these studies focused on include the personalities of those who
have tattoos and the correlation between having tattoos and risky behavior. For example, Manuel
and Sheehan (2007) studied the difference in personality between those with tattoos and those
without tattoos was conducted. In a survey of 210 men and women undergraduate students in
psychology classes, they found that those with tattoos do not like to be held back in any way and
may also be rebellious (Manuel & Sheehan, 2007). Both non-tattooed and tattooed students
voted that the adjectives that described those with tattoos dealt with extraversion, determination,
and rebellion, but the researchers found no significant difference in personalities between the two
groups (Manuel & Sheehan, 2007). They concluded that tattoos and those with tattoos are less
abnormal than they used to be (Manuel & Sheehan, 2007). Swami, Pietschnig, Bertl, Nader,
Stieger and Voracek (2012) also examined differences in personality between people with tattoos
versus people without tattoos. They found that those with tattoos scored higher in topics that
dealt with extraversion but in all other categories there were no significant differences in
personality (Swami et al., 2012). Heywood, Patrick, Smith, Simpson, Pitts, Richters, and Shelley
(2012) examined the type of people, ages 16 to 64, who obtained tattoos through 8,656 phone
interviews. They found that those with tattoos were predominantly females in their twenties and
those with tattoos were associated with risk-taking behaviors such as a larger number of sex
partners and smoking cannabis (Heywood et al., 2012). This research was not the only study to
find those with tattoos more susceptible to risky behavior.
Many studies have examined the correlation between having tattoos and the amount of
risky behavior involvement. For example, Gueguen (2012) examined the relationship between
having tattoos and piercings and the age at which a person became sexually active. The study
interviewed 2,080 students from four different colleges. Gueguen (2012) found that students
who reported having one or more piercings or tattoos were more likely to engage in behavior
such as sexual activity at a young age, alcohol abuse and the use of illegal drugs. King and
Vibourek (2013) also examined the correlation between having tattoos and risky behavior. They
surveyed undergraduate college students and found the respondents with tattoos were
significantly more likely to participate in drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and risky sexual
behavior, but they found no correlation between having tattoos and suicidal behaviors or ideation
(King & Vibourek, 2013). Koch, Roberts, Armstrong and Owen (2004) searched for a
relationship between religious belief and practice and having tattoos. They surveyed 520
undergraduate students at one large public university and found a weak negative correlation
between those with strong religious faith and having a tattoo (Koch et al., 2004). Also, the study
found a weak correlation between church attendance and obtaining or having interest in
obtaining a tattoo (Koch et al., 2004). From these results they concluded that there is an increase
in cultural acceptance of tattoos (Koch et al., 2004).
Stigma Associated with Tattoos
Another very popular subject studied by researchers has been the evaluation of
stigmatization towards those with tattoos. For example, Burgess and Clark (2010) investigated if
the delinquent stigma of tattoos has been eliminated or has altered in any way due to the growth
in popularity of tattoos. The researchers showed college students pictures of three different
people applying for jobs. One person had no tattoos, one person had contemporary tattoos, and
the third person had traditional tattoos. Their results showed that the applicants with no tattoos
and with contemporary tattoos were found equally suitable for the jobs, but the applicant with
traditional style tattoos was deemed unsuitable for either job (Burgess and Clark, 2010). The
researchers concluded that the negative stigma associated with tattoos is still found with
traditional tattoos, but that contemporary ink is accepted by both tattooed and non-tattooed
people (Burgess and Clark, 2010). Roberts (2012) surveyed 1,989 poll participants attitudes
toward tattoos. This study found the main reasons for persons to obtain tattoos were for fashion
or identification formation (Roberts, 2012). Roberts (2012) also found that younger tattooees
find tattoos normative while other generations are still at odds with the concept but the oddest
finding of the research was that people with tattoos chastise others with tattoos.
Some researchers have focused specifically on college students perceptions of tattoos.
For example, Martin and Dula (2010) gave the Martin Stigma Against Tattoos Survey (MSATS)
and the Big Five personality traits survey to 210 undergraduate students. They found many
different attitudes towards tattoos, but the overall stereotype against tattoos has slightly
decreased (Martin & Dula, 2010). Similarly, Dickson, Dukes, Smith, and Strapko (2014) gave
U.S. college students the MSATS and open and closed-ended questions to measure stigma. They
concluded that students with relatives who have tattoos report less stigma against tattooed
individuals, and women stigmatize those with tattoos less than men do (Dickson et al., 2014).
This study also found a significant reason that students do not want to get tattoos is because of
the negative stigma that accompanies tattoos (Dickson et al., 2014).
Studies have also been conducted to reflect on college students reactions and attitudes
towards stigmas against tattoos. For example, Horne, Knox, Zusman, and Zusman (2007)
surveyed 400 nonrandom undergraduate volunteers about their attitudes towards tattoos and
piercings. They concluded that men were more likely to obtain more than one tattoo, but both
men and women prefer getting tattoos in hidden places to avoid the stigma associated with
tattoos (Horne et al., 2007). In addition, women and men believed that their parents, friends, and
future friends would object to visible and nonvisible tattoos (Horne et al., 2007). Similarly,
Dansby-Giles, Giles and Johnson (2011) focused on the way that college students with tattoos
face and handle stigma. They found that the students with tattoos purposefully placed their
tattoos in places always covered by clothing and also found some students removed all piercings
to alleviate stigma associated with tattoos (Dansby-Giles et al., 2011).
Perceptions of Females
The three studies that pertain to the perception of women with tattoos are starting points
for the research proposal. Gueguen (2013) studied the attractiveness and approachableness of
women with tattoos versus women without tattoos. The researcher conducted an experiment on
60 well populated beaches around France with 11 young women (Gueguen, 2013). Gueguen
(2013) found that men approached the tattooed confederate approximately 20% quicker than the
same confederate without the tattoo. The approaching men were surveyed after the study and
said they believed they could have had sex with the women on the first date if she was wearing
the tattoo, but did not have the same reaction for the women not wearing the tattoo (Gueguen,
2013). This survey was open to every man on the beach ranging of all ages. Another study
similar to the proposed research was conducted at two British universities. Swami and Furnham
(2007) surveyed college students attitudes towards females with tattoos. They reported that
both men and women studying in an undergraduate program, with tattoos, without tattoos, and
even looking to get a tattoo, all ranked the females with tattoos significantly worse than the
females without tattoos (Swami & Furnham, 2007). They found that the participants ranked the
female with tattoos as a heavier drinker, more promiscuous, and unattractive (Swami &
Furnham, 2007). The last study found on the perception of women with tattoos took place in
Canada. Hawkes, Seen, and Thorn (2004) surveyed the perceptions Canadian undergraduate
students had toward women with tattoos. They found that undergraduate men were harsher in
their criticism then the undergraduate females who participated (Hawkes et al., 2004). They also
noted that it did not matter if the tattoo was visible or not, the women with tattoos were ranked
significantly worse than the women without tattoos (Hawkes et al., 2004).
The first section of the literature review examined past research that focused on who gets
tattoos. These studies suggest that those who have tattoos are described as more extraverted and
are participate in risky behavior, but personality tests suggest no significant differences between
those with tattoos and those without. The second section of the literature review then focused on
the stigma associated with tattoos. These studies suggest that the stigmas associated with tattoos
have decreased, are less apparent in younger generations, but men stigmatize tattoos more than
women. In the last section of the literature review all of the studies examined the perception of
women with tattoos in and out of college, but the proposed research will expand what these
studies started. These studies suggest that men perceive women with tattoos as much
promiscuous, heavier drinkers, and unattractive. The way the proposed research will differ from
these studies that it will focus on U.S. college students, specifically on male student perception
instead of both male and female. All three of these studies took place in different countries,
France, Britain, and Canada, and there is no research that suggests that the perception of tattoos
is the same worldwide. The research based in Canada, even though closest to the United States,
was conducted approximately 10 years ago (Hawkes et al., 2004). The France study, even
though the confederates age was the age range of a student in university, did not take place on
campus grounds and broadened the scope of which men were included in the experiment
(Gueguen, 2013). These experiments are all strong starting points for the continuation of more
research.
Methodology
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This research study will examine the perceptions male college students with and without
tattoos have of women college students with tattoos.
Sample/Data Sources
The study will focus on male college students with and without tattoos to find their
perception of women college students with tattoos. Only male students will be selected as
participants because the question being answered focuses only on the perception men have of
women with tattoos. The JMU male population is 8,072, so to ensure a 95% confidence level
that the study can be generalized to the JMU male population the sample size of this research
study must be 367 (Just the Facts). The college students will be selected through a convenience
sample that will be administered to club sports teams and also fraternities on campus because
there are only 40% men on campus versus the 60% of women (Just the Facts). For this study,
the participants will be recruited through an email that will be forwarded to them through their
social chair or president. As an incentive, the organization with the largest percent of
participants will receive a $100 donation.
Procedures
The independent variable will be defined the male participant having or not having a
tattoo. The dependent variable will be the perceptions that the male college students have of
females with tattoos.
To determine the perception male college students have of female college students with
tattoos participants will complete a survey that includes both closed and open ended questions.
The survey will begin with two preliminary questions to make sure student is qualified to
participate in the survey. The survey will ask the gender of the participant and if they are not
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male then the survey will end. If the participant is male then the survey will continue. The
survey will then ask if the participant is over the age of 18. If the participant is not over the age
of 18 the survey will end. The next two questions will be asked to determine the demographic of
the participants. The survey will ask what year the participant is in: freshman, sophomore,
junior, or senior. The survey will then ask the ethnicity of the participant. Once those questions
are completed the participant will then complete the full survey.
The survey will be 28 questions long and will use the Likert scale to measure the
dependent variable, the perceptions of women with tattoos. The participants will respond to
these statements by answering Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly
Disagree. The first 10 questions will be more generalized with statements such as Women
with tattoos are attractive and Women with tattoos are uneducated. The second ten questions
will then be more focused on visibility like, Women with visible tattoos are just as intelligent as
women without tattoos, and I can look past a woman having a tattoo that is not visible. These
questions will then find if visibility has an effect on perception of women with tattoos. The next
five questions will then ask questions about relationships with a women with tattoos and will
include statements such as, I would let my parents meet my girlfriend if she had visible tattoos,
and I would date someone a woman if she had a tattoo. These questions will determine if
tattoos affect the perception of women when it comes to relationships. The last two questions
will measure the independent variable by asking if the participant has a tattoo and then how
many tattoos the participant has if any. These questions will be at the end of the survey to avoid
bias answers.
The survey will be distributed through email by link. Surveying the participants was the
chosen procedure because similar studies have focused on the same topic as that of the research
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proposal and they were all conducted through surveys. Pilot testing will be conducted by
surveying about 10 male friends to conclude if the questions will help acquire the information
that the research question is focused on finding.
Analysis
The level of measurement of the IV is nominal and is separated into two groups, male
college students with tattoos and male college students without tattoos. The level of measure of
the DV is interval and is measured through a Likert Scale. The results of the surveys will be
tested by a t-test. The data will be coded, Strongly Agree, will equal 1 Agree, will equal 2
Neutral, will equal 3 Disagree, will equal 4 and Strongly Disagree will equal 5. Questions
that were answered, Neautral, will be omitted from the analysis. The answers 1 and 2 will be
grouped together and answers 4 and 5 will be grouped together in analysis. A t-test will be used
to find a difference between the perceptions male college students with tattoos and without
tattoos have of females with tattoos.
Permissions
This research study includes people, so the IRB will need to approve the given survey.
The researchers will also need permission from the fraternity and sports teams department to
distribute the survey to their members, and lastly the researchers will need the consent of all
participants before completing survey.
Limitations
Significant limitations of this study are that only JMU students will be surveyed and also
the ability to recruit enough participants. The lack of funds and resources limits this study to
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only JMU. There are fewer males on campus than females so it will be difficult to ensure there
will be enough participants in the study especially since there are no incentives in completing
this specific survey. The population at JMU is approximately 80% Caucasian, and this will
cause a lack of diverse demographics not allowing this study to be generalized to other
universities (Just the Facts). Lastly, due to the study being administered by survey there might
not be answers that exactly reflect the students perceptions and the students are not able to
elaborate if desired.
Ethical Issues
The main ethical concern for this study is the guarantee for anonymity. The researcher
will be asking questions that could be considered controversial, so the researcher must take the
necessary steps in assuring the participants that their identities will not be associated with their
surveys. The survey will not ask any identifiable questions nor will it ask the participant to give
any contact information.
Conclusion
This proposal will expand on the previous studies that examine the perception that male
college students with and without tattoos have of females with tattoos. All previous research
related to the proposed study has been conducted in countries other than the U.S., so this study
will be able to expand on the findings of different countries. This studys findings may assist in
measuring the ongoing stigma associated with women with tattoos and determining if having a
tattoo makes a difference in the perception males have of females with tattoos. I ask permission
to conduct this research study.
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References
Burgess, M., & Clark, L. (2010). Do the savage origins of tattoos cast a prejudicial shadow on
contemporary tattooed individuals? Journal of Applied Social Psychology.40(3), 746-64.
doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00596.x
Dansby-Giles, G., Giles, F. L., & Johnson, I. (2011). College students with tattoos and piercings:
Issues and challenges. NAAAS & Affiliates Conference Monographs. 125-133. Retrieved
from: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=2f95ca82-2573-4994b2ae-b7f332568757%40sessionmgr113&vid=7&hid=104
Dickson, L., Dukes, R., Smith, H., & Strapko, N. (2014). Stigma of ink: Tattoo attitude among
college students. The Social Science Journal. 51(2), 268-276.
doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2014.02.005
Gueguen, N. (2012). Tattoos, piercings, and sexual activity. Society for Personality Behavior.
40(9), 1543-1547. doi:10.2224/sbp.2012.40.9.1543
Gueguen, N. (2013). Effects of a tattoo on mens behavior and attitudes toward women: An
experimental field study. Archival Sexual Behavior, 4,1517-1524. doi:10.1007/s10508013-0104-2
Hawkes, D., Seen C. Y., & Thorn, C. (2004). Factors that influence attitudes toward women with
tattoos. Sex Roles. 50(9/10), 593-604. doi:10.1023/B:SERS.0000027564.83353.06
Heywood, W., Patrick, K., Smith, A., Simpson, J. M., Pitts, M. K., Richters, J., & Shelley, J. M.
(2012). Who gets tattoos? Demographic and behavioral correlates of ever being tattooed
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ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=2f95ca82-2573-4994-b2ae-b7f332568757%40
sessionmgr113&vid=16&hid=104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1za
XRl#db=s3h&AN=48646441
Mehta, V. (2013, May 20). Why are women with tattoos seen as promiscuous? Psychology
Today. Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/head-games/201305/whyare-women-tattoos-seen-promiscuous
Mlodinow, L. (2012, June 11). How we are judged by our appearance. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/subliminal/201206/how-we-arejudged-our-appearance
Roberts, D. J. (2012). Secret ink: Tattoos place in contemporary american culture. Journal of
American Culture. 35(2), 153-165. doi:10.1111/j.1542-734X.2012.00804.x
Swami, V., & Furnham, A. (2007). Unattractive, promiscuous, and heavy drinkers: Perceptions
of women with tattoos. Body Image. 4(4), 343-352. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.06.005
Swami, V., Pietschnig, J., Bertl, B., Nader, I. W., Stieger, S., & Voracek, M. (2012). Personality
differences between tattooed and non-tattooed individuals. Psychological Reports.
111(1), 97-106. doi:10.2466/09.07.21.PR0.111.4.97-106
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Appendix
Women with Tattoos Survey
Thank you for participating in this survey. There will be no identifiable questions and you will
not be asked to reveal your identity. Please answer the questions as truthfully as possible, so we
can honestly analyze the perceptions of females with tattoos.
Preliminary Questions:
Q 1: What is your gender?
Male
Female
Yes
No
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Survey:
Q 1: Women with tattoos are trashy.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
18
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
19
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 12: Women with visible tattoos are more confident than women with covered tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
20
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 13: Women with covered tattoos are more attractive than women with visible tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 15: I would date a woman with a tattoo if she is able to cover it.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 16: I would be embarrassed to be seen in public with a woman with visible tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 17: Women with concealable tattoos are classier than women with visible tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
21
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 21: I rather date a woman with a tattoo than a girl with no tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 23: I would bring a woman home to my family if she had a visible tattoo.
Strongly Disagree
22
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 24: I would never bring a woman home to my family if she had a visible tattoo.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 25: I would bring a woman around my friends if she had a visible tattoo.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Q 26: I am more attracted to a woman with tattoos than a woman without tattoos.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Yes
No
0
1
2
3 or more
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