Health
Number of young adults identifying as transgender plunges by nearly half in two years
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More data is emerging supporting a sharp decline in the number of young adults identifying as transgender or non-binary.
Last week, Fox News Digital reported on data shared by Eric Kaufman, a professor of politics at the University of Buckingham, showing that the share of college students identifying as anything other than male or female has been cut in half in just two years.
Now, Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, has identified additional data that appears to confirm these findings on a wider scale.
TRANSGENDER ‘TREND’ SHARPLY DECLINING ON AMERICAN COLLEGE CAMPUSES, NEW ANALYSIS FINDS
First, Twenge analyzed data from the nationally representative Household Pulse survey, which asked people directly about identifying as transgender, as she stated in an article for Generation Tech.
“The Household Pulse data showed a decline in trans ID among 18- to 22-year-olds in 2024, but I was cautious about drawing conclusions from it, as the decline appeared only in a limited time period (July to September 2024) — and two of the three survey administrations added an option for non-binary identification that wasn’t there before,” she wrote. “Maybe that was why identifying as trans declined.”
More data is emerging that supports a sharp decline in the number of young adults identifying as transgender or non-binary. (iStock)
Next, the professor — who is also the author of the book “Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents” — looked at another nationally representative survey.
The Cooperative Election Study (CES), a nonprobability-based survey fielded each year in the fall by YouGov and administered by Tufts University, asked about transgender identification among all U.S. adults from 2021 to 2024. It also included a separate question about identifying as non-binary.
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In 2021, 2022 and 2024, the CES asked, “Do you identify as transgender?” The choices were “yes,” “no” and “prefer not to say.”
“Prefer not to say” responses were treated as missing data, Twenge shared with Fox News Digital.
Beginning in 2021, the sex/gender question of the CES asked, “What is your gender?” with choices of “man,” “woman,” “non-binary” and “other.”
Beginning in 2021, the sex/gender question of the CES asked, “What is your gender?” with choices of “man,” “woman,” “non-binary” and “other.” (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Among 18- to 22-year-olds, trans identification was cut nearly in half from 2022 to 2024 — and non-binary identification dropped by more than half between 2023 and 2024.
“When I looked at adults of all ages in the survey … I found a huge increase in identifying as transgender from those born before 1980 (Gen X and Boomers) to those born in the early 2000s (who are now 21 to 25 years old),” Twenge told Fox News Digital.
“Identifying as transgender then declined, especially for those born in 2005 and 2006 (who are now 18 to 20 years old).”
“I think the question now is not if trans is in decline, but how far it will fall.”
There are several theories as to why this is happening.
“One possibility is changes in acceptance; as acceptance increased, more young adults identified as transgender and/or were willing to identify as transgender in a survey,” Twenge said. “When acceptance declined, identifying as transgender (or at least identifying as transgender on a survey) declined.”
Among 18- to 22-year-olds, trans identification was cut nearly in half from 2022 to 2024 — and non-binary identification dropped by more than half between 2023 and 2024. (iStock)
In previous analyses looking at data from another survey, Twenge found that the increase in identifying as transgender between 2014 and 2023 did not extend to people over age 45 (Gen X and boomers).
“That makes it less likely that the changes are due to acceptance, which should impact people of all ages,” she said. “However, it’s possible that acceptance increased more among young adults between 2014 and 2023 and then decreased more into 2024.”
Twenge emphasized that identifying as transgender and identifying as non-binary are two different things.
“One of the reasons I did this analysis was because the surveys Prof. Kaufmann relied on did not ask about identifying as transgender — they asked about identifying as non-binary or something other than male or female,” she noted. “I wanted to see if there was a decline in identifying as transgender.”
She added, “I also thought it was important to look at a nationally representative sample and not just at students from elite schools.”
“Once people become more comfortable [with] who they are, they stop needing to define themselves so rigidly,” a mental health expert said. (iStock)
Kaufmann applauded Twenge’s new report, calling her “the best in the business.”
“It was good to see that mainstream academic generation researchers are following up,” he told Fox News Digital. “Her data very much reinforces what I found using FIRE, Brown and Andover Phillips data.”
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“I think the question now is not if trans is in decline,” he added, “but how far it will fall — and what the implications will be for the cultural progressive project, and for trends in gender surgery and diagnosis.”
“Perhaps young people are realizing they don’t have to announce or label everything about themselves to be valid.”
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 was not part of the cited surveys, previously told Fox News Digital. “For some, that label became ‘non-binary’ — not identifying with a gender.”
Rather than rejecting who they are, Alpert said, young people may simply be tired of feeling pressure to define every emotion or difference with a new identity.
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“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.”
Alpert said he sees this same pattern in his own therapy practice.
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“Once people become more comfortable [with] 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 Tufts University and to the U.S. Census Bureau requesting comment.
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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