Shifting Identities: A Look at the Declining Nonbinary Identification Among Young Americans
Recent research suggests a significant trend reversal in gender identity expression among young Americans, with fewer young adults now identifying as nonbinary—a term describing individuals who don’t identify exclusively as male or female. This emerging pattern, highlighted in a comprehensive report by Eric Kaufmann, professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, titled “The Decline of Trans and Queer Identity among Young Americans,” indicates what appears to be a notable shift in gender self-identification among Generation Z. By analyzing data from multiple reputable sources including the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), elite educational institutions like Phillips Academy Andover and Brown University, alongside CDC surveys of high school students, Kaufmann has documented a consistent downward trajectory in nonbinary identification over the past three years.
The FIRE survey, which gathered responses from over 50,000 undergraduate students primarily at leading research universities in 2024, reveals a particularly striking trend. According to these findings, only 3.6% of young adults currently identify as a gender other than male or female—marking a significant decrease from 5.2% in 2023 and 6.8% in 2022. This represents nearly a 50% decline in nonbinary identification among college students in just two years, suggesting a substantial reversal in what had previously been viewed as a growing social phenomenon. This pattern appears consistent across institutions and demographic groups, indicating that this isn’t merely an isolated occurrence but potentially a broader societal shift in how young people are choosing to express and identify their gender.
The trend becomes even more pronounced when examining specific educational institutions. At Phillips Academy Andover, a prestigious college-preparatory school in Massachusetts, the percentage of students identifying in nonbinary categories fell dramatically from 7.4% in 2023 to just 3% in 2025—a reduction of more than half in a relatively short timeframe. Similarly, Brown University’s data shows that 2.6% of students currently identify as neither male nor female, compared to 5% who responded the same way in both 2022 and 2023. It’s worth noting that these statistics specifically track nonbinary identification and don’t necessarily account for transgender individuals who may identify within the binary gender framework as either male or female, making the decline in specifically nonbinary identification all the more noteworthy.
What makes this trend particularly fascinating is its contrast with the general understanding of gender identity expression that had been developing over the past decade. Many social observers, educators, and mental health professionals had been witnessing what appeared to be a steady increase in nonbinary and gender-diverse identification among younger generations, attributed to greater social acceptance, increased visibility of diverse gender expressions in media and culture, and expanded language for describing gender experiences. The apparent reversal of this trend raises intriguing questions about the nature of gender identity formation among young people: Is this decline reflective of changing social attitudes, a natural fluctuation in identity exploration, or perhaps a sign that the initial surge represented a period of experimentation that has now stabilized into more permanent patterns of identification?
It’s important to contextualize these findings within the broader landscape of transgender identification in America. According to recent data from the Williams Institute at UCLA, approximately 2.8 million Americans identify as transgender, including about 724,000 youth. This comprehensive assessment, which incorporated federal surveys and health agency data from all fifty states, provides a valuable baseline for understanding the overall prevalence of transgender identification in the United States. The distinction between nonbinary identification (which appears to be declining) and overall transgender identification (which includes those who identify within the binary as male or female) highlights the complexity of gender identity and expression in contemporary society, suggesting that certain forms of gender diversity may be following different trajectories than others.
As society continues to grapple with questions of gender, identity, and self-expression, these findings invite thoughtful consideration about how we understand and support young people in their identity development. Rather than rushing to definitive conclusions, researchers, educators, and policymakers might view this as an opportunity to engage more deeply with the nuanced and fluid nature of identity formation in adolescence and young adulthood. Whether this trend represents a temporary fluctuation or the beginning of a longer-term shift in how young Americans conceptualize and express gender, it underscores the importance of approaching these questions with both empirical rigor and compassionate understanding. As our collective conversation about gender continues to evolve, so too will our appreciation for the complex interplay between individual identity, social context, and human development.
