More like, don't expect anything if not forced. Most people only generally pay for things if there is no other option. It's about what's moral (even then debatable as everyone has different morals) versus what's realistic to expect.

The Guardian's funding model [0] proves this wrong.

People will absolutely pay for things voluntarily if you ask them, without forcing them to.

[0] https://www.theguardian.com/membership/2018/nov/12/katharine...

In a nutshell - voluntary funding by readership. No paywall. You can read as many stories as you like for free, and donate if you want. It works.