As with anything there are stickers and quitters.
As more and more time goes by, it is natural that there are less and less of the original people still sticking around, although more new people are getting into domaining every day.
Often people are too impatient and want to make money before they have really put in any work - like a farmer wanting to harvest a crop just a few days after planting the seeds! When some people dont see an immediate return they leave and try the next big thing.
Initial mistakes can often put people off unless they are prepared to learn from them and improve their investment strategies. I was just the same as many - names registered in the first year were mostly rubbish, although I did register one that turned out to be an absolute jewel.
The current economy may well have put off a few but I regard the current financial situation as an opportunity - there are still sectors of the economy that are doing well. By targetting end users usually in niche industries, I have achieved more this year than in the whole of last year.
Everyone has their ups and downs in domaining - the key is not to quit but to keep going, no matter what. Having definite goals - needing to raise a specific sum of money by a specific date - works well to encourage me to put in the required effort to get success.