By quantriweb2023 
A SHIFT IN IDENTITY — Why America’s Young Adults Are Quietly Moving Away from Labels
Across college campuses throughout the United States, a subtle yet profound change is emerging among young adults. Over the past decade, conversations about identity—particularly gender identity—have saturated classrooms, social media platforms, and campus dialogues. Yet, recent data reveals a surprising trend: the number of students identifying as transgender or nonbinary has dramatically decreased.
A comprehensive survey involving over 68,000 college students, analyzed by Professor Eric Kaufmann from the University of Buckingham, unveils this unexpected shift. Only 3.6% of respondents now identify as something other than male or female. This figure contrasts starkly with percentages from just a year ago, where it was 5.2%, and even more markedly from 2022 and 2023, where it hovered around 6.8%. In essence, within just two years, the number of students embracing nonbinary or transgender identities has effectively halved—an outcome many did not foresee.
This survey, conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), is mainly recognized for tracking students’ perspectives on free speech. However, embedded within its demographic inquiries lies a striking insight into how Generation Z is reshaping—perhaps even retreating from—the cultural conversation about identity.
In his analysis, titled “The Decline of Trans and Queer Identity among Young Americans,” Kaufmann highlights that this drop is more than just numeric; it symbolizes a broader cultural recalibration. Over recent years, gender and sexuality were heralded as avenues of personal authenticity, with rapidly emerging identities gaining visibility and social value. But now, a transformation seems underway.
Professor Kaufmann offers one compelling explanation: the improvement of mental health among young people.
“Less anxious and depressed students are linked with a smaller share identifying as trans, queer, or bisexual,” Kaufmann wrote. “As students grow more secure within themselves, they may feel less need to define or reshape their identity in public terms.”
In addition, Kaufmann suggests that this shift may reflect the natural lifecycle of cultural trends. Much like fads that explode into the spotlight only to fade away, the rise of gender fluidity might be settling into stability.
“The fall of trans and queer seems most similar to the fading of a fashion,” Kaufmann noted. “It happened largely independently of shifts in political belief or social media use.”
Medical experts are cautiously intrigued by these findings. Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst, described the data as “fascinating, but incomplete.”
“While the data shows a real decline, it doesn’t tell us why. It could reflect a changing cultural climate,” Dr. Siegel explained. “Perhaps there’s less pressure to make political statements through identity, or maybe many have realized that their earlier self-definitions were temporary.”
Taking a psychological lens, Jonathan Alpert, a New York psychotherapist, offered a broader perspective. Alpert views the trend as a “natural correction” following years of what he terms “therapy culture,” where every discomfort or identity question was quickly assigned a label.
“For a while, we encouraged young people to label every emotion,” Alpert said. “And for some, that label became ‘nonbinary.’ It wasn’t always about gender—it was about searching for belonging.”
Alpert is quick to clarify that this doesn’t mean fewer people truly identify as transgender. Instead, it signifies that fewer feel compelled to publicly reject traditional labels.
“Once people become comfortable in who they are, they stop needing to define themselves so rigidly,” he noted. “To me, that’s not intolerance—it’s maturity.”
The survey’s detailed results reinforce this narrative: heterosexual identity has surged by nearly ten percentage points since 2023, while rates identifying as gay or lesbian have remained stable. Intriguingly, first-year students now report identifying as “trans or queer” less frequently than their senior counterparts—a reversal from earlier trends, suggesting a continued downward trajectory in the years ahead.
These developments extend far beyond college campuses. For many observers, they indicate a yearning for balance after years of polarized cultural debates. What was once framed as a public declaration of political or social ideology now appears to be settling into something more personal and internal.
Cultural commentators have noted this generation’s unique blend of empathy and openness, combined with a growing fatigue around constant self-definition. The relentless demand to categorize every feeling, attraction, and uncertainty has become exhausting. One student, reflecting on this fatigue, told a recent interviewer:
“I don’t need a new label every time I change or grow. I’m just me.”
This quietly grounded and sincere outlook may well be the most authentic explanation for the shifting tides. In an era that once prized visibility at all costs, many young Americans are embracing simplicity. They are choosing authenticity over performance, substance over slogans.
Professor Kaufmann encapsulated the sentiment perfectly:
“Perhaps young people are realizing they don’t have to announce or label everything about themselves to be valid.”
After years of vociferous debate and public self-declarations, this calm and steady realization may be exactly what this generation needs. The statistics may be shifting, but what they truly reveal is not a decline—it is an evolution. A quiet turn toward wholeness, confidence without confusion, and an identity that doesn’t have to shout to be genuine.