Since the western “middle class” do not own as much capital as the upper class and have to make most of their living off their labor, they don’t have as clear a path to retirement. Owning a property that appreciates in value is instilled in them as the path to financial freedom.

I think it has to do with the fact that no alternatives are ever presented (pensions are attacked and defunded, social security defunded etc.) so they can’t even comprehend a world where you don’t have to accumulate as much as possible before you hit retirement age.