Richard Collins wrote about this type of things 10 years ago. He looked
at why us Mooney owners pay more in insurance than Arrow pilots and why
Mooneys have more wx accidents. His opinion was that the Mooney was
made to be a traveling machine, just like the Cirrus. When you have a
fast traveling machine you go places. When you go places you encounter
more weather. 172's don't encouter as many wx related accidents because
if your mission is to cross the Sierras 10 times per year, you don't
buy a 172.
Perhaps the Cirrus appeals to less experienced pilots as well.
Personally, I don't see the chute as a selling point. Most accidents
happen close to the ground where the chute doesn't help and most wx
accidents happen after the plane has over stressed and come apart,
again something the chute doesn't really address (obviously since you
can't even use the chute when you're in an uncontrolled high speed
decent typical of TS or ice encounters).However, that's just my
opinion. I'm sure newly minted pilots see it as more of a benefit and
perhaps there, they attrack more inexperienced pilots.

-Robert CFI and Mooney driver