Transgender 'trend' sharply declining on American college campuses, new analysis finds

Eric Kaufmann, a professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, conducted his own analysis of a large survey of U.S. undergraduates - which included a question asking them to identify their gender.

Anything that isn't a man or woman is considered "gender non-conforming," the surveying organization shared with Fox News Digital.

The possible answers are listed below.

In the 2025 survey of 68,000 students, only 3.6% of respondents identified as a gender other than male or female. 

"In other words, the share of trans-identified students has effectively halved in just two years."

The report also found that "non-conforming sexual identity" has sharply declined, according to Kaufmann. Those identifying as gay or lesbian remained "stable," although heterosexuality has risen 10 points since 2023.

Additionally, in 2024-2025, fewer college first-year students identified as "trans or queer" compared to seniors - which is the opposite of what occurred in the 2022-2023 year.

"This suggests that gender/sexual non-conformity will continue to fall," Kaufmann wrote in an X post sharing the data.

The annual survey - College Free Speech Rankings - is conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The aim is to gather students' opinions on freedom of speech, along with demographic information like gender.

His independent report, "The Decline of Trans and Queer Identity among Young Americans," was published by the Centre of Heterodox Social Science and has not been peer-reviewed.

"Our survey looks at student attitudes for free expression and is conducted for that purpose," FIRE told Fox News Digital. "As a side effect of asking demographic questions of so many respondents, one can glean trends in demographics, as Professor Kaufmann has done here."

"Less anxious and, especially, depressed students are linked with a smaller share identifying as trans, queer or bisexual," he wrote.

The decline could also signal the fizzling out of a trend, Kaufmann added.

Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, noted that the study is "very interesting," but doesn't pinpoint the cause of the decline.

Siegel also wondered whether the attempt to "normalize" these choices and to "overcome stigmatization" could have been an overreaction in some cases, which is now being dialed back.

"Or is the stigmatization now increasing again, making students reluctant to declare themselves as non-binary now?" he asked. "This needs to be studied further."

Dr. Jonathan Alpert, a New York City psychotherapist, said this shift likely marks a "natural correction."

"For a while, we taught young people to over-interpret every feeling. Therapy culture told them that every discomfort needed a label or diagnosis," Alpert, who also was not part of the analysis or the survey, told Fox News Digital. "For some, that label became 'nonbinary' - not identifying with a gender."

According to Alpert, these results don't necessarily mean that fewer people are identifying as transgender - "it's mostly about fewer identifying as nonbinary, which is something very different."

"So, in essence, it's the performance that's slowing down - at least in what this study showed," he said. "A few years ago, identity was treated almost like a social badge. Now, perhaps young people are realizing they don't have to announce or label everything about themselves to be valid."

"Once people become more comfortable in who they are, they stop needing to define themselves so rigidly. To me, that's a sign of growing self-assurance, not intolerance."

Fox News Digital reached out to Kaufmann for additional comment.