over the past 60 years the West

I reckon the writer is saying this about the West because that's the only data he had access to. And, that this techno-pessimism should be a worldwide phenomena.

On the other hand, I wonder whether other cultures, apart from the West, have adopted a similar risk averse mindset. I mean, "the Haves" (and not the Have- Nots) are the only ones prone to be afraid to loose their accumulated wealth & lifestyle. But probably other affluent groups in the Non- Western world, might have adopted similar tendencies.

Or, they might have not. And this risk averse mindset, is exclusively a Western post-industrial cultural element. It would be very interesting to find out what the cultural & regional differences actually are world-wide.