Daytime is what it is. Of course there are still some pretty lousy stuff out there, but we don't have time to watch everything anyway. We select the best, and the best has been pretty darn good. I also think that the loyal daytime viewers tend to be older, they are the ones who have been watching since the beginning. The longer you have been a fan of daytime, the harder it would be for you to quit.
People tend to stick around out of habit.
It's the addiction to the shows and their favorite characters that is keeping them around, not because of the writing. In fact, it's become very easy to just quit cold. I really don't know if there's a solution for Daytime. Time has changed and people have changed. People evolve and our tastes in entertainment evolve along with us.