You seem to be equating "home ownership" with single-family detached homes, but that is not what the term means -- you can own an apartment flat as well, it's called a condo.
Maybe, but few people truly want to live in a condo. They're what you settle for unless you're old enough that you can't maintain a yard or regularly partake in outdoor activities anymore.
While I don't doubt the majority of homeowners prefer single-family homes, I've known a fair number of condo owners (and renters) over the years, and none of them were "settling" because they were too old for yard work. Some made that choice for financial reasons -- condos often cost less than roughly comparable SFHs even when you figure HOA fees in -- but many made that choice because they prefer urban or oceanside living. My former roommate of many years now lives in a loft condo in a dense urban area, and it is more or less his dream house. Currently I live in a SFH on over an acre of land in rural Florida, and while there are some lovely things about it, I would trade it for a condo in certain cities in a heartbeat. Not everyone places a high priority on being able to smoke a brisket in the back yard.
Yes, this is all anecdotal, but I can't help suspect that you're doing a bit of "this is how I feel, so surely it's the way everyone else feels". :)
Being that in the SFH neighborhood I live in there are a ton of homes that are serviced by lawn care companies, I don't think lawn maintenance is a determining factor.
It's about utilization of the space. If I want to smoke a brisket, I'm not getting far on an apartment balcony, and a pool party isn't the same when you just invite people to the shared one in the complex.
