Graffiti of Canadian High School Students

Abstract

This study classified sex and cultural differences as reflected by inscriptions in washrooms and confirmed hypotheses that (1) females will write more graffiti than males, (2) there will be no sex differences in the proportion of sex-related graffiti to the total number of graffiti between males' and females' washrooms, (3) female students will write more sex-romantic graffiti than males, and male students will write more sex-erotic graffiti than females, and (4) French Canadians will write more political than any other graffiti than English Canadians. Two English and two French high schools were selected for the purpose. Wales and Brewers' (1973) scheme to classify the graffiti was used. The results are strikingly different from earlier studies. These differences might be explained in the terms of changes in prevailing attitudes and values of the society. Canadian data show more political graffiti than comparable American data.