Oddly enough, the post-WWII generation did much better than the present generation without being notable for risk taking.
I mean, declining education levels, deteriorating infrastructure, and many other causes might be pointed to for the decline of America. Considering that, as you say, only a minority is ever going to risk-inclined, the decline of America can't be chalked up to risk-aversion.
And also, when the health care system declines, the risk of catastrophic becomes something that an individual isn't very capable of managing.
That's not a very telling point, since we were the industrial nation least trashed by WWI, and were considerably strengthened by how the war compressed say half a century's worth of technological progress into a half a decade.
For example so very many things came out of RADAR R&D ... *including microwave ovens :-), but also stuff that fed into the Whirlwind computer project (the first practical computer), etc. etc.
I mean, declining education levels, deteriorating infrastructure, and many other causes might be pointed to for the decline of America. Considering that, as you say, only a minority is ever going to risk-inclined, the decline of America can't be chalked up to risk-aversion.
And also, when the health care system declines, the risk of catastrophic becomes something that an individual isn't very capable of managing.