They Aren’t Just Tattoos – They’re Testimonies: Study Shows How Tattoos Are Becoming Sacred Symbols for a New Generation
New research reveals how religious tattoos reflect a cultural – and generational – shift in how faith is expressed through permanent body art
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For many young Americans, tattoos have become more than just body art – they are sacred expressions of deeply held beliefs. Anew study by researchers from Baylor University and Texas Tech University explores a growing trend: the increasing number of religious tattoos and the powerful personal faith they reflect.
Published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Texas Tech sociology professors Jerome R. Koch, Ph.D. and Paticia Maloney, Ph.D., and Baylor sociology professor Kevin D. Dougherty, Ph.D., completed the first-of-its-kind nationally representative study that analyzed the connection between religion and tattoos in the United States.
The study used national data from the 2021 Baylor Religion Survey to explore how tattoos serve as spiritual markers. The survey was administered by Gallup to a national random sample of 1,248 U.S. adults.
The research shows that about 10% of American adults have tattoos with religious or spiritual significance – revealing how lived religion is taking on new forms, especially among younger generations.
“What we’re seeing is that tattoos are becoming modern-day sacred objects,” Koch said. “They’re permanent, deeply personal and often worn as both a proclamation of faith and a private reminder of belief.”
The research challenges older stereotypes that religious people avoid tattoos. While highly religious individuals are still generally less likely to be tattooed, the researchers found that younger generations and people with strong religious commitment are the most likely to mark their faith permanently on their skin.
“Religious tattoos represent a unique subculture within faith communities,” Maloney said. “They’re not about trend-following. They’re about identity, memory and meaning.”
The study also highlights how faith practices are evolving. For many, tattoos have joined other forms of spiritual expression like jewelry or clothing – with one major difference: permanence.
“A religious tattoo doesn’t come off. It travels with you. It encourages continuity, a lasting connection to what you believe.” - Kevin D. Dougherty, Ph.D.
“A religious tattoo doesn’t come off. It travels with you,” Dougherty said. “It encourages continuity, a lasting connection to what you believe.”
For Dougherty, his interest in religious tattoos began when he asked his students to take photos of tattoos on campus for a sociology class project. He was struck by how many tattoos at Baylor were expressions of faith.
“Tattoos that once marked the fringes of respectable society are now being redeemed as testimonies of belief,” he said. “They’re a reminder that faith – like culture – is always adapting, always finding new ways to speak.”
ABOUT KEVIN D. DOUGHERTY, PH.D.
Kevin D. Dougherty, Ph.D., is an award-winning teacher, holding Baylor’s Master Teacher designation, and an active researcher. He teaches large sections of Introduction to Sociology almost every semester. At the graduate level, he teaches the Seminar in Teaching and The Sociology of Religious Organizations. His research explores religious affiliation, religious participation, racial diversity in congregations, congregational growth and decline and the impact of religion on other realms of social life, such as community involvement, politics and work. He also regularly writes and speaks about innovative teaching. His published research appears in leading academic journals and has been featured in news media such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, CNN, National Public Radio and USA Today.
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments in the sciences, humanities, fine arts and social sciences, as well as 11 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. The College’s undergraduate Unified Core Curriculum, which routinely receives top grades in national assessments, emphasizes a liberal education characterized by critical thinking, communication, civic engagement and Christian commitment. Arts & Sciences faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit the College of Arts & Sciences website.