Generational panics that see older people fret about younger ones have been around since God’s dog was a puppy. From rock-and-roll and bell bottoms to computer games and tattoos, the idea that those who follow us are lazy, incompetent or corrupted repeats more often than The Simpsons. But to suggest young people are frightened of petrol stations, as a recent survey has done, stretches this cliché to breaking point.