Today marks Regret a Tattoo Day, and a new CivicScience survey takes a closer look at how common tattoo remorse really is. Based on more than 12,000 responses, the data shows that 40% of those with tattoos regret at least one, 15% say they regret multiple tattoos, and 25% say just one, while 60% say they don’t regret any of their ink.
Gen Z adults aged 18-29 are the most likely to regret tattoos, in addition to women and those from lower-income households (likely a proxy for age). Tattoo regret is also more common among city dwellers and those in the South.
But demographics aren’t the only thing setting tattoo-regretters apart:
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Social Issues: Those who have removed multiple tattoos are twice as likely to say they research a brand’s stance on social issues.
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Buy Now, Pay Later: They’re twice as likely to use BNPL services.
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Plant-Based Meat: They are 22 percentage points more likely to eat plant-based meat.
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Streaming: They over-index as heavy streaming users, with 22% spending more than four hours a day watching.
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Digital Detox: Over four in ten deliberately “unplug” from personal tech for at least two hours daily (not including sleep).
Tattoo regretters stand out not just for what’s on—or off—their skin, but for their broader lifestyle choices. From their shopping and diet habits to their tech use and social awareness, these individuals prove that a change in ink can signal bigger changes in daily life.
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This article’s data comes solely from CivicScience’s database, which contains nearly 700,000 poll questions and 5 billion consumer insights.