A growing number of young people at U.S. colleges are no longer identifying as transgender or non-binary, according to a new analysis by University of Buckingham professor Eric Kaufmann. Kaufmann’s study, based on data from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)’s annual College Free Speech Rankings survey, found a marked drop in the percentage of Gen Z students identifying as non-binary or transgender over the past three years. The percentage fell from 6.8% in 2022 and 2023 to 3.6% in the most recent survey conducted in 2025.
Kaufmann’s findings suggest a noticeable shift in how young people perceive and express their gender identity. The report notes that while non-conforming sexual identities have declined sharply, same-sex attraction remains stable. In fact, heterosexual identification has increased by 10 points since 2023. The professor attributes this decline to factors like improved mental health and the reduced need for young people to label every emotion or feeling with a specific identity. He wrote that the drop in trans and queer-identifying students resembles a fading trend rather than a political movement.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a Fox News Digital medical analyst, noted that while the study is