I honestly think (and am annoyed somewhat) that asking for statistics/study (popular on HN), or citation (even more popular on wikipedia), became convenient way to shut down discussion or dismiss opposing viewpoint.
Hypothetical example with a bit of exaggeration that illustrates what I observe frequently: personA:“people go to work in the morning”, personB: “study/citation needed”
Your example would be a great one for a statistic. The one I was replying to created a whole straw man argument using words such as "will be" and "on average" implying knowledge.
Using phrases such as "I honestly think" are to engage in discourse as it invites discussion rather than presenting opinion as fact and leading to a request to back it up. The whole thread created a straw man caricature like out of the 1920's adding no value to the discussion.
Hilarious! Well played!