‘Spring forward, fall back’ has many heads spinning
Daylight Saving Time is liked by some, but seems confusing to others
The US Senate made a big splash last week – in two ways.
First: It suddenly – without any debate – passed the “Sunshine Protection Act,” which would effectively end the “spring forward” ritual of advancing clocks by an hour to Daylight Saving Time (DST), and the “fall back” counterpoint in autumn.
Second: It was unanimous! No one was recorded voting against the measure.
Seldom does the evenly divided upper chamber come together for a unanimous vote on anything. It is much more often split 50:50.
But its vote also indicated how far out of step it is with the American public: the issue has been debated for decades, but polling on DST finds the public not nearly as unanimous as the US Senate.
In fact, it is deeply divided.
It turns out, where you stand on DST depends – to some degree – on where you sit: geography plays a significant role in public opinion on the topic.
The US is one of about 70 countries worldwide using Daylight Saving Time (DST), but not all states use it.
For those not familiar with what happens every spring – and fall – in the US, the site Time Change 2022 in the United States summarizes it well.
At 2:00 am on Sunday, March 13 everyone in the 48 states using DST moved their clocks forward one hour and Daylight Saving Time started.
In eight months, on Nov. 6, Daylight Saving Time ends and we’ll adjust the clocks back one hour to Standard Time.
The change is implemented in all states except Arizona and Hawaii, which use Standard Time all year.
The US first implemented Daylight Saving Time in 1918, and this has continued in some form for over 100 years.
After passage of the Energy Policy Act, DST in the US now starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
According to the act, the US Department of Transportation governs the use of DST. The law does not affect the rights of states and territories that choose not to observe DST.
Historically, there were no uniform rules for DST from 1945 to 1966. This caused widespread confusion, especially in transport and broadcasting. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 aligned the switch dates across the US for the first time.
But, there is still considerable confusion about DST and this is reflected in public opinion polls on the topic. To say the least, they are all over the map.
On the same day as the Senate voted to abandon DST, on March 15 the Monmouth University Polling Institute reported Few Americans Like Resetting Clocks but, apparently, more prefer making daylight saving time permanent.
“As the country went through the annual ritual of setting clocks ahead one hour this weekend, the Monmouth University Poll found about 1 in 3 Americans want to maintain this clock-resetting practice.”
That means almost two-thirds don’t want to reset their clocks twice per year!
“A plurality (but not even a majority) would actually prefer to make daylight saving time permanent, while using standard time year-round draws few backers.”
According to the poll, almost two-thirds of Americans (61%) would support ending the nation’s twice-a-year time change, while a little over one-third (35%) want to keep the current practice.
Those who want to stick with a single year-round time prefer to have the later sunrise and sunset hours (44%) of DST rather than the earlier daylight hours allowed by Standard Time (13%), Monmouth found.
A few months ago in the fall, when the clocks were moved in the opposite direction – back one hour – the Associated Press detailed somewhat similar results in its Nov. 5 poll End of daylight saving time means winter is on the horizon.
“[A] recent poll shows that most Americans want to avoid switching between daylight saving and standard time, though there is no consensus behind which should be used all year,” the AP found. (emphasis added)
“The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds only 25% of Americans say they prefer to switch back and forth between standard and daylight saving time, when the sun rises and sets one hour later in the summer than it would during standard time.”
That means three-quarters of Americans don’t want to change the clocks twice per year, a big majority. But finding any consensus beyond this is difficult, at best.
“Forty-three percent of Americans say they would like to see standard time used during the entire year,” AP reported. “Thirty-two percent say they would prefer that Daylight Saving Time be used all year.”
Geography has a big impact
Although these polls did not break out their results by location, it turns out this is one of the most significant variables determining public opinion on Daylight Savings Time.
On March 20, NBC explained this in One problem with permanent Daylight Saving Time: Geography by noting, tongue-in-cheek, that there are big swaths of the nation where the “Sunshine Protection Act” might just as well be called the “Rising in Darkness Act.”
“Despite the proposal's overwhelming support in the Senate, however, American opinions on permanent DST are far from uniform and some Americans are already casting shade on it,” NBC reported.
First, it noted the obvious – and misleading – name given to changing the clocks: “The amount of daylight does not change with Daylight Saving Time (obviously). All that changes is the time on the clock when sunrises and sunsets happen.”
It then went on to dig into the weeds, where everything becomes muddy. It noted the disagreement over the wisdom of changing the clocks — it depends largely on individual circumstances: some prefer an early sunrise while others prefer a late sunset.
It then pointed out an inescapable fact of geography: the further from the equator one lives, the more impact there is from changing the clocks because the actual number of daylight hours changes dramatically as one moves further from the equator.
There are 12 hours of daylight year-round at equator, but at the 49th parallel – roughly the border of the US and Canada for much of its length – it’s a different story entirely.
In mid-winter at this latitude there are fewer than eight hours of daylight; in midsummer it’s more than double that – over 16 hours.
Conversely, there are more dark hours in winter, fewer in summer at higher latitudes.
So the conclusion is inescapable. “People who live above the 42nd parallel … are slightly more likely to want to keep DST the way it currently is,” NBC reported.
In addition, there are also differences on the east-west axis. “Time zones can be big unwieldy things and sunrise and sunset can look very different on their edges,” NBC said.
One state that would be quite affected by the east-west divide is Arizona; it has decided to avoid the issue entirely and keep Standard Time all year. Another is Texas, which is about 800 miles from east to west: it uses DST, though there could be as much as one hour difference in sunrise and sunset times on its borders.
It anything is clear from public opinion surveys – and, obviously, not very much is clear – one thing stands out: the results are inconsistent, reflecting deep differences in opinion!
In a March 19 article Daylight Savings debate: Winners — and losers — of ending biannual time changes Yahoo news reports that “businesses, politicians, sleep experts, and regular Americans are now actively discussing who would benefit from sticking to one schedule all year.”
One apparent winner would be golfers and golf courses – because they would benefit from longer evening hours. Also, farmers would not mind the extra hours later in the day. Not a huge constituency by any means.
But who would lose from making DST permanent? “Everyone else, according to sleep experts,” Yahoo says.
It was referring to a report from the 11,000 member American Academy of Sleep Medicine that states: “Data clearly show that the sudden change from standard time to Daylight Saving Time in March is associated with significant public health and safety risks, including increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders, and motor vehicle crashes.”
The AASM position statement also indicates that “current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.”
Its conclusion is unambiguous:
“It is time to stop changing the time twice per year. We believe that permanent standard time is the best option for health.
The position of the AASM is actually supported by research from the National Institute of Mental health and is available in its paper What is seasonal affective disorder?
“Many people go through short periods of time where they feel sad or not like their usual selves,” the NIMH reports.
“Sometimes, these mood changes begin and end when the seasons change. People may start to feel “down” when the days get shorter in the fall and winter (also called “winter blues”) and begin to feel better in the spring, with longer daylight hours.”
According to the NIMH, in some cases, these mood changes are more serious and can affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities.
“If you have noticed significant changes in your mood and behavior whenever the seasons change, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression.”
So there is actually a clinical diagnosis for the psychological effects of seasonal changes in the number of hours of sunlight.
One but not both
Despite unanimity in the US Senate, whether permanent DST will ever become law remains uncertain. It is now before the House of Representatives, where its future is up for debate. A unanimous outcome is highly unlikely.
A review of the widely divergent opinions on the topic reveals there seems to be a consensus on only one aspect: Let’s keep the clocks steady all year.
Like many others, I remain agnostic on which would be better: summer time or standard time? Either would work for an urban lifestyle not requiring early rising or late hours away from home.
Changing the clocks twice a year is an unnecessary ordeal with potential clinical side-effects. If it can be avoided, it should be. We should pick one clock setting, and learn to live with it.
YES! Choose the time we have NOW (DST) as I prefer longer light in the evening. If that's not chosen, just pick ONE!
Very interesting indeed Warren and a huge debate on the table! Cannot please everybody!