Free choice and social influence

It’s pretty clear to me that the answer is very simple, yet I had difficulty formulating it:
Studies often appear on dropout rates in the religious community (or other communities), indicating very high dropout rates. Everyone discusses the educational failure of the religious community (or other communities) following this data and offers advice and solutions on how to resolve the crisis, etc., etc.
And I asked: Doesn’t all the attempt to search for “reasons” and “explanations” for dropout contradict the principle of choice? Why not say that the reason there is such a high dropout rate is simply because people chose to do so. Not because of the openness, or the closures, etc., etc., but simply because of the very fact that they chose to do this action. Without any additional reason or factor.
(And if you ask – why then in other communities the dropout rates are different – I will answer that it is because in other communities they allow less choice).
I hope I understood.