Tagging and Graffiti - Victoria University of Wellington

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Tagging and Graffiti: attitudes and experiences of New Zealanders • only a small minority (12.2 per cent) felt that graffiti was a ‘bad thing’ in all cases. Focus group participants also expressed the overlapping status of graffiti and tagging: To other people it is vandalism but to us it is art. If it is graffiti then it is art, if it is tagging then it is vandalism. The commissioning of graffiti and tagging A slight majority of respondents reported that they had not written graffiti. The survey asked respondents to state whether they write graffiti, have ever written graffiti or have not written graffiti. A large minority reported that they do write graffiti or that they had done at some point. The data indicates a substantial difference between male and female involvement in graffiti: a slight majority of male respondents agreeing that they had written graffiti at some time; while a clear majority of females reported that they had not written graffiti. Age and participation in graffiti There does not appear to be any clear direction in the relationship between age and reported writing. More than half of those aged under-14 reported that they had, at least on occasion, written graffiti, but the highest participation group was those aged 22-23 years. Property selected for graffiti The classification of property in terms of ownership status does not exert a significant influence on ‘event decisions’. Focus group extracts illustrate that the legal status of property was less significant than other factors: You only do it where people can see it.(Focus group participant) The best place is on the concrete ‘cos then they don’t remove it. (Focus group participant) Fences, big walls, plain white walls lures them to it. (Focus group participant) Gender and personal participation in graffiti Males reported that they engaged in different types of graffiti at a greater rate than females. Graffiti art was the biggest category selected by those of both genders who participated. 6
Tagging and Graffiti: attitudes and experiences of New Zealanders Future graffiti participation Those who had reported that they wrote graffiti were more likely to report that they would participate in future graffiti activity. Reasons for graffiti participation All respondents, including those who write graffiti and those who do not, were asked their opinion on why people write graffiti. Those who participated in graffiti-writing were less likely to refer to ‘breaking the rules’ as a general motivation for those who write. Similarly, participants were more likely to stress creativity as a general motivation. Illegal nature of graffiti writing A majority of respondents tended to agree that the illicit nature of graffiti made it more exciting. However, agreement was strongest among those ‘relatively heavily’ involved in graffiti activity. A large minority of respondents, in all three categories, ‘agreed’ that the illegality of graffiti writing made it more exciting. Desistance from graffiti and tagging Youngest and oldest groups more strongly favoured greater effort to stop graffiti. Those who had not participated were more likely to agree that more should be done than those who had, and those who occasionally participated wanted more effort to stop graffiti than those who might be considered more involved in writing. Males were less likely to favour greater effort to stop graffiti than females and Māori and European respondents were less likely to favour this than other ethnic groups. Reasons to stop personally doing graffiti Those who engaged in graffiti were asked a series of questions about factors that might lead them to stop writing in general terms. The most significant reason to stop, across all groups, was apprehension by police. The quick removal of graffiti was rated very lowly as a reason for graffiti writers to stop. Family disapproval was less likely to be a factor. The most common response, across most forms, was that none of these strategies would lead respondents to desist from graffiti. 7
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