Now you’re making assumptions.
I am a college professor and talk to many, many young people. I cannot recall hearing a single young person say that the world is a rotten place to bring kids into (or any variation thereof). What I DO hear, are students saying they don’t want kids because its too much money, trouble, and they want to focus on their careers and enjoy life. Granted, some students still say they want to get married and start a family, but they appear to be in the minority.
We’re both using personal information as our basis.
It seems to me, at first blush, that your students have not really made a decision. They are explaining why they are putting off a decision.
Those interested in the big picture could try to find some information on just why people ultimately choose to not have children. As I recall, there is some national group of people who chose to not have children. Those—among others—are the folks one needs to question to find out why they did as they did (or didn’t). Of course, many who made their own decision have not joined this group. It sure is complicated, seems to me.
Even in the absence of definitive information, I deplore attributing such a decision to selfishness.