Youth nonbinary and queer identities decline

Updated: 2025.10.15 7D ago 1 sources
Eric Kaufmann’s new report finds student self‑identification as non‑binary and non‑heterosexual has fallen since peaking in the early 2020s. The drop is not explained by shifts in politics or social‑media use, and seems partly mediated by improving mental health post‑pandemic, suggesting a trend cycle rather than a one‑way rise. — If identity self‑reports are receding, it revises expectations about the permanence and scale of recent cultural shifts and informs school policy, media framing, and health research.

Sources

Fewer Young People Are Identifying as Non-Binary or Non-Heterosexual
Steve Stewart-Williams 2025.10.15 100% relevant
Kaufmann/CHSS graphs (2015–2025 student surveys) showing declines in non‑binary and non‑heterosexual identification, with controls indicating mental health explains part of the trend.
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