What’s New
President-elect Donald Trump has revived the decades-old debate over daylight saving time (DST). He has described it as “inconvenient,” and “very costly to our nation,” and announced the the Republican Party would aim to eliminate the practice, a measure which has been backed by multiple allies including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Public opinion is somewhat divided on the issue, and politicians have diverging opinions on both sides of the bench.
From what the president-elect has said, to public opposition and expert opinion, Newsweek looks at what the end of DST would really mean for the U.S.
Newsweek has reached out to the Trump transition team for comment via email.
Why It Matters
A 2022 YouGov poll reported that almost two-thirds of the 1,000 U.S. adults surveyed wanted to end time changes. However, 53 percent of those polled said they wanted to make daylight saving time permanent, compared to 32 percent who preferred standard time.
The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have said in the past that it is better to do away with the time changes, and stick with standard time as it aligns better with the sun and human biology.
Eliminating the clock change would require approval from Congress. There have been a number of bipartisan efforts to pass a bill, though all have failed.
The Senate unanimously passed a bill in 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, but it ultimately died in the House.
Another effort to pass a similar bill in 2023 also failed.
What Is Daylight Savings Time?
DST is the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour during the warmer months of the year to extend evening daylight and reduce the need for artificial lighting. It is commonly used in many countries. In the U.S., DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
Ending DST would mean abolishing the biannual clock changes and staying on standard time (the time observed during winter months) year-round, bringing earlier sunrises and sunsets under year-round standard time.
Making DST permanent would mean that the clocks would no longer “fall back” in the autumn. Instead, the time adjusted during the spring (“spring forward”) would remain in place throughout the year. This would effectively shift more daylight into the evening hours during the winter months.
What We Know
What does President-elect Trump want?
Trump posted on X that, “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
Though Trump has made his position on DST clear, and he expressed support for making DST permanent back in March of 2019, it is unclear how he will approach the implementation of changes to DST.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of different time policies?
Permanent Daylight Saving Time (DST)
Advantages
Extended Evening Daylight: Supporters argue that longer daylight in the evenings encourages outdoor activities, potentially boosting physical health and reducing crime rates due to increased visibility.
Economic Benefits: Extended daylight hours can stimulate the economy by encouraging shopping and participation in evening events.
Disadvantages
Health Concerns: Experts warn that permanent DST may disrupt circadian rhythms, leading to sleep disorders and associated health risks, including increased rates of heart disease and depression.
Morning Darkness: In winter months, permanent DST would result in darker mornings, which could pose safety risks for early commuters and schoolchildren, according to research from the Connecticut General Assembly.
Permanent Standard Time
Advantages
Alignment with Natural Circadian Rhythms: Permanent Standard Time aligns more closely with human biological clocks, potentially improving sleep quality and overall health, as per the Oxford Academic.
Safety Benefits: Brighter mornings can enhance safety for morning commuters and schoolchildren, reducing the risk of accidents, as per the Connecticut General Assembly.
Disadvantages
Shorter Evening Daylight: Critics argue that shorter daylight in the evenings could reduce opportunities for outdoor activities and negatively impact businesses that benefit from extended evening hours.
What People Are Saying
Professor Larry Sabato, founder and director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics told Newsweek: “The medical community appears fairly united that we should either have consistent Standard Time or Daylight Time to avoid the quantifiable health damage that results from springing forward and falling back each year.”
“I was in high school when the Uniform Time Act went into effect. What I remember most was that everyone complained about something! The same thing will happen now if time is standardized uniformly. It all depends on where you live and how you live.”
Christopher Barnes, a professor in organizational behavior, told Newsweek: “DST is disruptive to sleep and circadian rhythms, ultimately harming both well-being and work-related outcomes.”
“The Spring transition into daylight saving time, in particular, leads to an increase in work injuries, an increase in cyberloafing, and a decrease in work engagement. The fall transition back to standard time does not appear to have offsetting benefits.”
“There is clear empirical research showing that the circadian misalignment—which daylight saving time contributes to—undermines health in a multidimensional manner. The overall average health and work outcomes of Americans would be better with permanent standard time than any other option (better than our current policy of half/half, and better than permanent daylight saving time).”
What’s Next
Now that Trump has said he will try to end the time change practice when he takes office, it is likely that efforts will be made to do so when he returns to the White House.
Whether efforts will yield tangible results and how they will look remains to be seen.
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