If we get rid of student loans this could change overnight, we have fashioned a society that punishes risk taking on so many levels but the student debt is the strongest driver I can see its basically a return of the indentured servitude culture of the 18th century when most people came to this country under the auspices of indenture.
A lot of the young engineers I work with are definitely weighed down by their college debt, super high housing cost and health cost. A generation ago buying a house was much more affordable. So was college. So I'd say, yes, a generation ago it was easier to take a risk because today you don't have much less margin of error.
Then they should be comparing where people in previous generations were at the same point in their life. Not where previous generations are at the same point in time.