Overview
- New analyses of the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and several campus and college surveys reported in October 2026 show a decline in high school students who self-identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual compared with 2021–2023 peaks.
- The fall is concentrated among girls and the youngest students, with reported bisexual identity among female ninth-graders falling from about 26% in 2021 to roughly 13% in 2025 and overall non-straight rates for ninth-graders dropping from about 17% in 2023 to 11% in 2025.
- Some campus and college surveys report sharp local drops in nonbinary and other identities, but those figures are from non‑national samples and can differ from the CDC’s school-based results.
- Analysts disagree on causes: some commentators interpret the pattern as evidence that prior social influences have waned, while researchers stress measurement issues and say it is too soon to know if the change is a lasting cohort shift or a short-term blip.
- The immediate practical effect is uncertain, but the trend could reshape campus services, youth outreach and political debates if further years of consistent, comparable data confirm a sustained decline.