1. How does this compare to historical trends in the US? Did more kids in the 80s want to be rock stars or Hollywood actors, for example.
2. How is the author establishing a relationship between occupational earnings and the ambition of young people? Do we know that this is even a significant factor or could there be other motivations (popular culture placing more value on Internet celebrities than scientists, for example).
3. What other variance is at play in the country data? You can’t rule out differences in the US and Chinese education systems, for example. There are many sociological and technological factors you need to parse here.
4. How much does this even matter? “What do you want to be when you grow up” is a question most of us have been asked at some point but how many of us stuck to those dreams? Further, there may be an argument for having a diversity of skills and experiences that is often limited by rigid educational and career paths. Some of the best software developers I have worked with have been musicians and artists.
All that said, I think it would be great if becoming an astronaut had the same or more appeal to young people as social media fame. I’ll also say that it’s never too late (look at Richard Garriott who took a break from designing video games to become a citizen astronaut). One of my life goals is to go to space before I die and I think it’s a real possibility.