People Who Don’t Get Tattoos Usually Have These 6 Distinctive Traits

Tattoos can be deeply personal. Some people use them to mark important moments, celebrate loved ones, or express their identity. Others simply prefer not to have permanent artwork on their skin. But does choosing to remain tattoo-free reveal anything about a person?

Research offers a few interesting clues. Surveys have examined how people without tattoos view body art, whether they might get one in the future, and how their intentions differ across age groups. Psychological studies have also identified some average differences between tattooed and non-tattooed participants.

However, these findings come with important limitations. Here are six things research actually reveals about people who don’t have tattoos.

Most Don’t Expect to Get a Tattoo in the Future

For many American adults without tattoos, getting one isn’t currently part of the plan. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 85% of American adults without tattoos said they were either not too likely or not at all likely to get one in the future.

The finding shows that most tattoo-free adults reported little likelihood of getting body art when they answered the survey. Still, there’s an important distinction between saying you’re unlikely to get a tattoo and ruling it out forever.

The survey measured what respondents thought about their future at that particular time. It didn’t establish that they would never change their minds.

Most Don’t Have a Negative Impression of Tattooed People

You might assume that someone without tattoos isn’t particularly fond of body art. However, Pew Research Center’s findings suggest that this isn’t necessarily true.

Among American adults without tattoos, 66% said seeing a tattoo on someone left them with neither a positive nor a negative impression of that person.

Meanwhile, 29% reported having a more negative than positive impression, while just 5% had a more positive than negative impression.

The most interesting finding is that nearly two-thirds of tattoo-free respondents expressed a neutral view. This challenges the assumption that choosing not to get a tattoo automatically means disapproving of people who have them.

Someone can appreciate a beautifully designed tattoo without wanting one personally. Others may simply have no strong opinion about body art at all.

In other words, personal preferences and opinions about other people’s choices aren’t necessarily the same thing.

Younger Adults Without Tattoos Are More Likely to Consider Getting One

Age appears to make a difference when it comes to future tattoo intentions. Pew Research Center found that 19% of tattoo-free American adults under 30 were extremely or very likely to get a tattoo.

Among adults aged 65 and older who didn’t have tattoos, that figure was just 1%. That’s a considerable difference in stated interest between the two age groups.

However, the numbers shouldn’t be interpreted as proof that younger people are naturally more adventurous or that older adults are opposed to body art.

The survey only measured how likely respondents said they were to get a tattoo. It didn’t establish the personal reasons behind their answers.

It also doesn’t mean every younger adult without a tattoo is considering getting one. Most respondents under 30 weren’t in the extremely or very likely category either. The broader takeaway is that future intentions aren’t distributed equally across age groups.

Religious Affiliation Is Associated With Different Tattoo Ownership Rates

Another interesting finding from Pew Research Center concerns religious affiliation. The survey found that 29% of religiously affiliated American adults had at least one tattoo. Among religiously unaffiliated adults, the figure was 41%.

This represents a noticeable difference in reported tattoo ownership between the two groups. However, it’s important to understand what these numbers actually establish.

They show an association between religious affiliation and tattoo ownership. They don’t prove that religion caused someone to avoid getting a tattoo.

Religious affiliation also doesn’t tell us exactly what an individual believes about body art. People within the same religious tradition can have different personal views.

The survey didn’t establish the specific reasons behind each person’s decision. It simply identified a difference in tattoo ownership between the groups.

Psychological Research Has Found Differences in Novelty-Seeking and Extraversion

Some researchers have investigated whether people with tattoos and those without them differ in certain personality characteristics.

A 2012 study by Viren Swami and colleagues, published in Psychological Reports, examined 540 people from the southern German-speaking area of central Europe.

The researchers found that participants with tattoos scored higher on average in several measured areas, including extraversion, experience seeking, need for uniqueness, and positive attitudes toward tattoos. The differences were generally small to medium in size.

These findings suggest that the two groups showed some average differences in the characteristics examined. However, they shouldn’t be turned into assumptions about individuals without tattoos.

For example, the results don’t establish that someone without body art is shy, dislikes new experiences, or has no interest in expressing themselves.

The study also involved a specific European population, meaning its findings shouldn’t automatically be applied to all American adults.

A separate 2012 study involving 136 British residents visiting a tattoo parlor also examined differences between people who subsequently received their first tattoo and those who did not.

Those who went on to get a tattoo scored higher on average in several measured characteristics, including extraversion, sensation seeking, and need for uniqueness.

These studies offer interesting observations, but they don’t provide a reliable personality test based on tattoo ownership.

Not Having a Tattoo Doesn’t Reveal Someone’s Entire Personality

Perhaps the most important lesson comes from research examining the relationship between tattoo coverage and psychological characteristics.

A 2026 study published in Scientific Reports examined 280 adults in Cyprus, with an average participant age of 28. Participants were recruited through university facilities and local cafés.

The researchers found that tattooed participants scored higher on disinhibition, a measure encompassing impulsivity and irresponsibility, and an overall maladaptive-trait measure. The reported differences were described as small to moderate.

However, the researchers also emphasized the limitations of these findings. The results did not establish that people with tattoos have psychological disorders. They also didn’t demonstrate that people without tattoos are psychologically healthier or more responsible.

Importantly, the findings had limited value for predicting the characteristics of individual people. This distinction matters because group averages can easily be misunderstood.

Even when researchers identify a difference between two groups, that doesn’t mean the difference applies to every person in either group.

Someone without tattoos could be spontaneous, adventurous, outgoing, or interested in unusual experiences. Someone with several tattoos could have completely different characteristics.

Tattoo ownership alone cannot establish whether someone is responsible, impulsive, emotionally stable, or psychologically healthy.