I think people are really underestimating the number of people who have fallen back to the "middle class safety net" of parents. It's mostly the orphans, abuse

I think people are really underestimating the number of people who have fallen back to the "middle class safety net" of parents. It's mostly the orphans, abused, generationally poor without a safety net that are back to working underpaid / under appreciated jobs. Why get back on the service worker treadmill (that discarded you during the pandemic) once you've already moved and blown up all your social ties if you can chill at home with parents while you try to change careers? So many adults who grew up in the middle class really underestimate the compounding power of a safety net but they are finally realizing it. I'd be willing to bet that a lot of people didn't take that option before the pandemic due to social stigma. With that gone why not make the rational choice? A family safety net changes your entire decision process to more heavily weight "Maximize Opportunity" over the impoverished priority of "Mitigate Risk". I think a lot of people were just socially pressured into moving out and taking service jobs instead of making the more rational choice.