the Americans I talk with area also affected by a selection bias
At risk of also being affected by selection bias, I remember some past conversations I've had with people who are in pretty good jobs and doing pretty well for themselves extremely confidently asserting that social security should be abolished because it promotes people being lazy and just "living off the dole" and I'm like have you ever tried to live off the dole and pretty much 100% of them had never had to and just looked at me completely blankly when I told them that speaking from personal experience it was basically impossible.
Patriotism?
Some kind of syndrome? x_x