Is this a case of reduced merit sources but with bigger amounts of sMerits vs what they had in the past?
That would be my guess. Then again, I don't like guessing so let's check the data:
Just under 7 years ago:
There are 131 merit sources with a total merit generation of up to 21045 sMerit per 30 days
That's 160.65 on average.
Now:
There are 86 merit sources with a total merit generation of up to 31022 sMerit per 30 days
That's 360.72 on average.