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I know what most of these jobs pay. God bless them for showing up at all. I had a friend that fell on very hard times and was getting food stamps. While I was living on ground beef (when it was $1/lb) chicken, hot dogs and ramen, he was eating like a king...he literally couldn't spend all the food stamps every month eating beef tenderloin and lobster tails. Why work for no benefit...kids are doing the calculation that they will be more fulfilled having all their free time and the same level of wealth as someone working a grueling, thankless job that essentially pays worse than wealth transfer payments.

Work ethic is bad? In the US, In my experience that isn't true. I am genuinely surprised to see many people working some jobs at all, considering what they make. Lack of care in doing the job is understandable. As far as living in cities, that is where the vast majority of employment is. Most people that are living the idyllic country life-style made a fortune in big cities, then moved to the country. The rest have land inherited from generations back. I grew up in the country and as far as affordability, its about the same, but with less crime (ROI on crimes like burglary is low due to likelyhood of being shot). A few people have land and nice houses, and most live in dilapidated to falling down hovels.

light refracts towards denser air (downwards)...ever tried to spear something underwater, or looked at a canoe paddle in the water? Same effect, denser fluid bends light downward.