Poll Reveals What We Really Think About the Clock Change

Yes, you'll get a shot at an extra hour's sleep. But even with that, it might be one of the most dreaded weekends on the American calendar: the end of daylight saving time. Only 12% of US adults favor the current system of daylight saving time, which has people in most states changing the clocks twice a year, according to a new AP-NORC poll, while 47% are opposed and 40% are neutral. Around the country, the clocks will go back one hour at 2am Sunday (respective local times) to mark the return to standard time and more daylight in the mornings. More on the poll and the history of the (unwelcome for some) change:

• History: The United States first started using the time shift more than a century ago, during World War I, then again in World War II. Congress passed a law in 1966 that allowed states to decide if they would have it or not, but it required their choices to be uniform across their territories. All states except Arizona and Hawaii make the time shifts; those two states remain on standard time year-round.
• One failed experiment: America did try once, in the mid-1970s, to switch to permanent daylight saving time. It was supposed to be a two-year experiment, but it lasted less than a year because it was so unpopular.
• A push for change: There have been calls for the US to stop making the twice-yearly changes, including a piece of legislation that stalled after the Senate passed it in 2022. Among those urging that the country stick to one time for the entire year are the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, as well as President Trump, who issued a social media post about it earlier this year.
• New research: Stanford University researchers have found that at least when it comes to humans and our internal clocks—our circadian rhythm—having a single time would be better for health than switching. It also found that standard time had slightly better health benefits than daylight saving time. "The more light you have earlier in the morning, the more robust your clock is," said Jamie Zeitzer, one of the study authors.

• More poll findings I: But although about half of US adults are opposed to the switch—including 27% who are "strongly" opposed—many don't care one way or another. That's particularly true of adults under 30, with 51% saying they neither favor nor oppose the practice. Those over 30 are more likely to be opposed to it, with about half saying they dislike the twice-a-year switching of clocks.
• More poll findings II: If they had to choose one time for the country to use, more than half of adults—56%—prefer making daylight saving time permanent, with less light in the morning and more light in the evening. About 4 in 10 prefer standard time, with more light in the morning and less in the evening.
• More poll findings III: Those who consider themselves "night people" are much more partial to permanent daylight saving time, with 61% of them saying this would be their choice. "Morning people" were just about evenly split, with 49% of them preferring permanent daylight saving time, and 50% wanting permanent standard time.