Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: ABSTRACT Tattoos have evolved into a widely popular form of self‐expression in the United States, especially for younger generations. Religious texts and images become increasingly common tattoos that now decorate the body. Surprisingly, previous research on tattoos is largely silent about religion. Given changing perceptions in the United States on tattoos, we ask: do religious people today have tattoos? And, how religious are people with religious tattoos? With a nod to Durkheim, tattoos may be conceptualized as profane and sacred , with religious tattoos functioning as sacralized markers of religious subcultural identity. We analyze tattoos and religion with nationally representative data from the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey. Religious affiliation is largely unrelated to tattoo acquisition or tattoo type, but religious commitment is related to both acquisition and type of tattoo. Highly committed religious people are unlikely to have a tattoo. If they do, it is likely a religious tattoo.
DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12962
Institutions: Texas Tech University, Baylor University
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4408765031