It's not 50%, its 70%!
Hi vegancruiser,
Actually, the number I think you are referring to is that 70% of private pilots fail to renew their licences at the end of the first 5 years.
There are numerous reasons for this, but I don't think lack of confidence features highly among these. The ones I know of are as follows: -
1. Once having flown friends and family on the new licence, and bought a few £150 bacon butties, people become bored and pack in.
2. Long before having got that licence, the realisation of the full and ever rising cost of flying has horrified them and so they keep it up until they get their licence and then call it a day.
3. They become sick of the gross over-regulation and stupidity of EASA.
4. They are young and married and a baby comes along needing all their spare dosh.
5. They finally become sick of flying boring spam-cans but can't afford to take up aerobatics or some other more interesting form of flying.
6. They lose their medical for some reason.
7. They lose their job and have to cut back on expenditure while out of work.
There are other reasons, but I can't think of any for the moment.
Regards,
BP.