A shift in cultural trends? Young people in the US are increasingly less likely to identify as LGBT

The number of young Americans who identify as transgender or queer has declined significantly, according to a new study by Professor Eric Kaufmann of the University of Buckingham.

Between 2023 and 2025, the proportion of students who do not identify as male or female fell from seven percent to 3.6 percent, reports the website European Conservative.

A similar trend was also observed in surveys at Andover Phillips Academy and Brown University. The proportion of students who did not identify as heterosexual also declined, from 32 percent in 2023 to 23 percent in 2025.

Kaufmann described this development as a “post-progressive break” that was not the result of political or religious changes, but was apparently linked to an improvement in the mental health of young people.

In his opinion, the lower incidence of anxiety and depression reduces the likelihood of identifying as trans or queer. Kaufmann compared this phenomenon to the decline of a fad and pointed out that it is a significant cultural shift whose further development is still unclear.

(mja)