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  • What Tattoos Tell Us About The Economy

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    Peter Orszag
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    Tattoos have long since become commonplace in the U.S.: Forty percent of households now include someone with one, according to a recent survey, up from 21 percent in 1999. Apart from their fashionability, does this tell us anything about America?

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    What Tattoos Tell Us About the Economy

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    Tattoos have long since become commonplace in the U.S.: Forty percent of households now include someone with one, according to a recent survey, up from 21 percent in 1999. Apart from their fashionability, does this tell us anything about America?

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    4 views3 pages

    What Tattoos Tell Us About The Economy

    Uploaded by

    Peter Orszag
    Tattoos have long since become commonplace in the U.S.: Forty percent of households now include someone with one, according to a recent survey, up from 21 percent in 1999. Apart from their fashionability, does this tell us anything about America?

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    6/16/2015

    What Tattoos Tell Us About the Economy - Bloomberg View

    C U LTU R E

    WhatTattoosTellUsAboutthe
    Economy

    OCT7,201410:12AMEDT

    ByPeterR.Orszag

    aA

    TattooshavelongsincebecomecommonplaceintheU.S.:Fortypercentofhouseholdsnow
    includesomeonewithone,accordingtoarecentsurvey,upfrom21percentin1999.Apartfrom
    theirfashionability,doesthistellusanythingaboutAmerica?
    Considerwhatweknowaboutpeoplewhogettattoos:They'renotevenlydistributedacrossthe
    population,buttendtobefoundinfamilieswithrelativelylesseducation.Fiftypercentofpeople
    withahighschooldiplomaorlessliveinthesamehouseholdwithatattooedperson(orhaveone
    themselves),comparedwith22percentofthosewhohaveattendedgraduateschool.Amore
    detailedsurveyfrom2004intheJournaloftheAmericanAcademyofDermatologyfoundsimilar
    results:Fortypercentofthosewithoutahighschooldiplomahadatattoo,whilejust14percentof
    peoplewithacollegeorgraduatedegreedid.(Thenumbersarelowerbecausethisstudyexamined
    individuals,ratherthanhouseholds,andbecauseitwasdone10yearsago.)
    The2004surveyalsoshowedthattattoosweremuchmorelikelytobefoundamongyounger
    adultsandamongpeoplewiththreeormoredaysofjailtime,withmilitaryservice,orwithany
    experiencewithrecreationaldrugs.Ingeneral,thesefindingsfittheexpectedpatternthattattoos
    aremostpopularwithpeoplewhoarelesseducatedandwhoengageinriskierbehavior.
    Butdothetattoosinturnaffectpeople'slivesandbehavior?
    Newresearchsuggeststhatinsomewaystheydon't.Lowerearningsamongpeoplewhohavea
    tattooisnotsomuchassociatedwiththetattooitself.TheresearchersattheUniversityof
    Miami,TempleUniversityandtheUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeleyfoundthatoncethey
    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-07/what-tattoos-tell-us-about-the-economy

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    6/16/2015

    What Tattoos Tell Us About the Economy - Bloomberg View

    adjustedforeducationandothercharacteristicsthatmightreduceearnings,theeffectofthetattoo
    becamestatisticallyinsignificant.Inotherwords,tattooedworkerstendtoearnlessthanthe
    average,buttheywouldearnlessthantheaverageevenwithoutatattoo.
    However,anotherstudyfoundthathavingatattoocanmakeithardertogetajob.These
    researchers,fromCoastalCarolinaUniversity,presented192restaurantmanagerswitharesume
    andphotographofapotentialworker,andaskedwhethertheywouldhiretheperson.Inone
    variantofthephotograph,notattooswerevisible.Intheother,theperson'sarmsappearedtobe
    coveredinthem.
    Theresult?Visibletattoosreducedtheprobabilityofbeinghiredby18percentagepoints,from88
    percentto70percent.Thenegativeeffectwasmorepronouncedforfemaleapplicantsthanfor
    maleworkers.
    Otherresearchsuggeststattoosinflictharmbeyondthelabormarketbysignificantlyraisingthe
    chancesofcontractinghepatitisCandotherbloodbornediseases.Theinjectionofcolorpigments
    tocreateatattooinvolvespuncturingtheskin80to150timesasecond.Iftheinstrumentsarenot
    fullysterilized,infectionscanbetransmitted.
    Allofwhichmightmakeyouwonderwhyanyonewouldgetatattoo.Theeconomistand
    FreakonomicswriterSteveLevittoncenotedthatbecausetattoosarecostlyandhardtoundo,they
    mustserveasasignalofsomething:
    Thefactthattattoosare(essentially)permanentmakesthemverypowerfulsignaling
    devices:themorecostlyitistotakeanaction,themorepowerfulthesignalthataction
    carries....Becausetattoosarepainfultogetandcloseoffsomelegitimatejobmarket
    opportunities,itisnthardtoseewhytattoosserveapurposeforpeopleengagedinactivities
    thatmakeitlikelytheywilleventuallyendupinprison.Mostoftheyoungpeoplegetting
    tattoos,however,arentonthatpath.
    Hereismyownguess:Theriseoftattoosreflectsabroadertrendofantiestablishmentarianism.
    Havingatattooisapermanentsymbolofrebellion,signalingthatyoudontbuyintothenorms
    establishedbyanoutoftouchelite.Anylabormarketorhealthrisksinvolvedareeasilytrumped
    bythesatisfactionofshowingthatyourewillingtoplaybyadifferentsetofrules.Ifthat'sthe
    case,expecttattoostobecomeevenmorepopular,aslongasmostAmericans'senseofopportunity
    andupwardmobilityremainslimited.

    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-07/what-tattoos-tell-us-about-the-economy

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    6/16/2015

    What Tattoos Tell Us About the Economy - Bloomberg View

    Tocontacttheauthoronthisstory:
    PeterROrszagatporszag3@bloomberg.net
    Tocontacttheeditoronthisstory:
    MaryDuenwaldatmduenwald@bloomberg.net

    http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-10-07/what-tattoos-tell-us-about-the-economy

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