Yes it generally is MUCH higher. The US girls that my daughter knows through soccer have one goal in mind - a scholarship. And to get there they focus on being on the best team, playing in the best tournament, winning, etc. They probably look at their young kid and think which sport will get them the biggest scholarship and steer them in that direction. It has nothing to do with a soccer culture or true love of the game. I'm generalising of course.
No doubt this occurs in soccer as well as other sports. Plenty of parents will steer their kid towards whatever sport they (the parents) perceive as the one where the kid can play at the highest level, most likely college. I think this may be less likely of the parents who played D1 because they're aware of the work and dedication needed to reach that level, much of which has to be player-driven. If the kid isn't showing that sort of interest, pushing is counter-productive
That last point is very important. I’ve seen multiple instances of folks getting into disagreements because their experiences were different. Youth soccer in US is a sport that every kid can play so there is a mix from “just out here for something to do” to “likely athletic kid with family focus on soccer”. Add to that the differences introduced by gender, club, area/region/state, age, period of time being used as basis for opinion and you get a million perspectives. I got in a long talk about soccer tournaments the other day before I asked what level we were talking about. Our last one through played in the highest bracket of every tournament, we had one that played on a winless team that was always in the lowest bracket. The approach and commitment are different...not good or bad, just different. So, arguing about ‘this or that’ is very likely two different experiences manifested into strong beliefs that conflict with another’s beliefs. No two of us have had the same experience.