I'm not sure what you mean by "decide for others". It's good for people to have a realistic idea of what they will face as a monk even if it doesn't change their mind about running away.
I certainly think it's a good idea to give it a go by doing long retreats (like staying for the rains) before deciding to become a resident. Many people say to just go for it and become a monk, if you disrobe then you just go back to lay life. It's not so straightforward, though; becoming a monk and disrobing can have a lasting affect on lay life. I don't think I'd be able to get a job as an engineer because employers would assume that I have no interpersonal skills (and they don't care to hear why that's untrue), I would probably have to get some unskilled work. I can appreciate if you consider an attempt at monastic life to be of greater benefit than any salary boost or work-fulfillment gained from not ordaining, likewise you can probably appreciate why some people would not want to risk these things until they've tested themselves in retreats and such.[/quote]
I think it is interesting to know the disrobing rate, i don't expect the figure to be 100% accurate though.
I had always wanted to know at what rate the monks, especially the western monks, disrobed. And how long they can stay on living under monkhood.
Personally, i would discourage people from ordaining as a bhikkhu unless they are really ready. There are many way to practice, even an anagarika could still practise in a monastery. one should only be ordained when they are ready and not simply be accepted. I would rather the monastery extend the samanera or novice periods to really test out before ordaining one as a bhikkhu.
Thanks for shedding some light into the matter, even though an accurate figure can be hard to come by without a detailed research and study with cooperation from the many monasteries. Thank you