Tagging and Graffiti - Victoria University of Wellington
Tagging and Graffiti - Victoria University of Wellington
Tagging and Graffiti - Victoria University of Wellington
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<strong>Tagging</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Graffiti</strong>: attitudes <strong>and</strong> experiences <strong>of</strong> New Zeal<strong>and</strong>ers<br />
Table 11: Ranking <strong>of</strong> reasons for graffiti<br />
Reasons for graffiti<br />
Score<br />
Because it is a form <strong>of</strong> being creative 2.53 Most significant<br />
Because it is fun 2.90<br />
Because I enjoy it 3.15<br />
Because it is exciting 3.18<br />
Because it is part <strong>of</strong> a group that I hang out with 3.91<br />
Because I want to damage things 5.08 Least significant<br />
All survey respondents, including those who write graffiti <strong>and</strong> those who do not, were asked<br />
for their opinion on why people write graffiti. Figure 1 shows that those who reported that<br />
they do not participate were more likely to suggest that graffiti was prompted by a desire to<br />
‘break the rules’: 7.2 per cent <strong>of</strong> non-participants selected this option compared to 2.7 per<br />
cent <strong>of</strong> participants. Similarly, non-participants were more likely to associate graffiti with the<br />
desire for celebrity (‘because they want to get their name up’) or with peer group activity<br />
(‘because it is part <strong>of</strong> a group that they hang out with’) than were those who participated.<br />
Conversely, those who participated in graffiti were more likely than non-participants to<br />
suggest that creativity is the primary motivation <strong>of</strong> graffiti writers: 21.5 per cent <strong>of</strong> writers<br />
suggested this was the key motivating factor, the most cited factor among this cohort.<br />
Enjoyment <strong>and</strong> excitement were also more likely to be cited by participants in graffiti writing<br />
(15.7 <strong>and</strong> 5.7 per cent <strong>of</strong> graffiti writers respectively). Focus group participants noted that<br />
graffiti writers in general <strong>of</strong>ten participated for pleasure, enjoyment <strong>and</strong> to achieve a measure<br />
<strong>of</strong> local celebrity:<br />
Busting out, mixing different colours. Doing different styles (Focus group<br />
participant)<br />
They wanna get famous (Focus group participant)<br />
No, they do it cos it’s a fact that you get noticed by other people (Focus<br />
group participant)<br />
For some people it is the only thing they are good at (Focus group<br />
participant)<br />
If you are in a gang you gotta get your name out there (Focus group<br />
participant).<br />
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