Maybe slightly . . . more as an overall upward trend for the past several years rather than a sudden change. I'm not a mathperson so I haven't done a formal study.
If we look at skaters who have been getting +2s and +3s this year, I think they were already getting those scores two years ago. Maybe slightly better on average now than then.
For Rochette, who gets some +2s now but not so much in the past, I think we can attribute the higher GOEs to improvement in her elements more than to changes in the judging standards. Hard to say quickly whether improvement in the elements might be a bigger factor with some of the other skaters as well.
If we look at skaters who have been getting +2s and +3s this year, I think they were already getting those scores two years ago. Maybe slightly better on average now than then.
For Rochette, who gets some +2s now but not so much in the past, I think we can attribute the higher GOEs to improvement in her elements more than to changes in the judging standards. Hard to say quickly whether improvement in the elements might be a bigger factor with some of the other skaters as well.