Behind the push to make daylight-saving time permanent
Image: Getty
At 2 am ET on Sunday, the vast majority of clocks around the US will perform the modern-day version of time travel and revert back one hour, as daylight-saving time (DST) ends and standard time begins.
But nearly half of Americans would prefer to do away with this change and keep DST year-round, which would lead to more daylight in the evening but less in the morning from November through March.
- Proponents of permanent DST say it would reduce risks for seasonal depression, cardiac issues, strokes, robberies, and car accidents, along with boosting the overall economy by encouraging Americans to be more active later in the day.
✋ But… The US has tried switching to permanent DST before – and it went about as well as the Fyre Festival. When Congress voted to keep DST year-round in late 1973, the decision was swiftly reversed after public sentiment dropped from 79% in support of the change to 42% within the first three months, partly due to early morning darkness proving dangerous for school children.
📸 Big picture: Any US state that wants to opt out of DST entirely and stay in year-round standard time has the right to do so. Currently, Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that use permanent standard time (i.e., keeping the hour behind and not springing forward).
However, federal law prevents states from making daylight-saving time permanent (i.e., keeping the hour ahead year-round), meaning the 19 states with legislation to that effect can’t officially stop clocks from changing without an act of Congress.
- Last year, a bipartisan bill to make DST permanent passed the Senate by unanimous consent, but wasn’t brought to a vote in the House.
📊 Flash poll: Which of the following options regarding daylight-saving time would you most prefer?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying →
Sprinkles in favor of our current DST system
- Some commentators argue that springing forward and falling back is disruptive, and maybe even deadly, but our current system of time-keeping still provides the best quality of life for the most number of Americans compared to any alternative.
- Others contend that DST is a bizarre idea in the best way possible: a human attempt to force our lives to fit the natural world in a more sensible way, essentially hacking our bodies into a pattern that benefits our minds and bodies.
- “Learning to Love Daylight Saving Time” –Binyamin Appelbaum, NYT
- “Daylight Saving Time Is Actually a Good Thing” –Dan Nosowitz, Popular Mechanics
- “Making daylight saving time permanent would mean losing sleep – and lives” –Charles A. Czeisler and Elizabeth B. Klerman, Boston Globe
Sprinkles against our current DST system
- Some commentators argue that while the issue of DST appears to only matter twice a year, research shows our current changing of the clocks has wide-ranging negative impacts, and the US should choose a permanent time system without any disruptions.
- Others contend that US lawmakers should move to end the outdated tradition of DST and allow Americans to stick to one time year-round, which would improve overall public health and economic activity.
- “Stop the biannual time-change madness” –Deseret Editorial Board
- “End time-shift insanity! Give us permanent daylight saving time now” –LA Times Editorial Board
- “Let’s say a permanent goodnight to daylight saving time” –Heather Turgeon and Julie Wright, WaPo
Share this!
Recent Discussion stories
Discussion
| November 1, 2023How much would you pay for a Big Mac?
🍔📈 US businesses have been hiking their prices for 2+ yrs in response to a combination of factors including labor costs – and prices are expected to further increase following recent minimum-wage hikes, strike actions, and new labor contracts.
Discussion
| October 30, 2023Israel has begun a “new phase” in its war against Hamas
💥 On Friday, Israel’s military launched large-scale air strikes targeting the Gaza Strip and expanded its ground operations in the region, as the ongoing war with Hamas officially entered its fourth week.
Discussion
| October 27, 2023The business challenges facing X, one year later
❌ It’s been exactly one year to the day since Elon Musk completed his purchase of Twitter (now X) for $44 billion. The platform is doing its best to navigate a series of current business challenges.
You've made it this far...
Let's make our relationship official, no 💍 or elaborate proposal required. Learn and stay entertained, for free.👇
All of our news is 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime; the quiz takes ~10 seconds to complete