Notes from the data in Number of Monks by Level (and assuming that's automatically updated):

Monks, Monsignor and above, constitute 0.245% of the overall population
while
Monks, Monsignor and above who are 8.871% of those logged-in in the past 24 hours.

For Level 15 Monks, the log-in % drops to 4.3548% of the daily log-in count
while
for Level 1 Monks, the log-in % is 16.1290%.

The log-in_during_the_past_24_hrs % drops steadily between Level 2 and Level 15, then rises again. (This generalization is based on mere-inspection rather than calculations and there were a couple out-liers.)

Update: ca 1900 EST, 2009-02-18 (sorry, got a Fire Call that interrupted me)

The overall numbers suggest some possible interpretations, beyond what we already know (e.g., that even those first time visitors who register don't continue coming for any substantial period of time):

1. Many new registrants are just starting to try to learn Perl (and may not have the diligence to struggle up the learning curve)
2. Some who "register today, come back tomorrow and are never seen again" paid us a visit in the hope we'd constitute a "Homework machine" or "Crank out Code" resource.
3. While those in point 2 may be beyond our ability to encourage, PM might be able to motivate some of those in 1. to the point where they actually get over the hump.
4. Those who stay and contribute enough to rise to somewhere around Level 15 enjoy enough gratification from being part of the Monastery to keep them around, and, indeed, to visit /hang out, often

Clearly there can be additional interpretations ... and there may well be many contrary ones. But finding even more ways to nourish newcomers might enhance the Monastery's vitality and expand what we might (with apologies to Boston Red Sox fans) "the Perl nation."