From wartime necessity to modern burden: how Americans view daylight saving in today’s world

When the United States first adopted daylight saving time, the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour during the summer months to extend evening daylight, during World War I, it was billed as a patriotic duty. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the original purpose was to save fuel and electricity while extending daylight for farm work and factory production. Families embraced longer evenings outdoors, and industries welcomed what seemed like lower energy demand.

The practice returned during World War II and was later standardized in 1966 under the Uniform Time Act, as recorded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For decades, many Americans saw it as common sense. Extra daylight in the evening meant more shopping, more recreation, and fewer hours burning costly power.

What people are most tired of today is the constant switching of the clocks and the disruption it brings. According to a Michigan Department of Health study, hospital admissions for heart attacks spiked 24% on the Monday following the spring forward. A nationwide study covering 36 million Americans between 2015 and 2019, conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, recorded 74,722 adverse cardiovascular events around daylight saving transitions. Research from the American College of Cardiology links the clock changes to higher rates of traffic accidents and workplace injuries.

Experts say the issue is biological. Dr. Alexander Ding, a trustee at the American Medical Association, stated in 2022, “For far too long, we have changed our clocks in pursuit of daylight, while incurring public health and safety risks in the process. Committing to standard time has health benefits and allows us to end the biannual tug of war between our biological and alarm clocks.” That warning has only grown louder. Dr. James Rowley, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, said in 2025, “Permanent standard time helps synchronize the body clock with the rising and setting of the sun.”

New research confirms the health burden of clock changes. A 2025 Stanford Medicine study compared permanent standard time, permanent daylight saving, and the current switching system across U.S. counties. It found that permanent standard time produced the least circadian burden and could reduce risks of stroke and obesity. Carla Finkielstein, a biological clock researcher at Virginia Tech, explained that “daylight saving time messes with our biological clocks by reducing morning sunlight exposure, which pushes our sleep schedules later and can have negative effects on health.”

Energy savings, the original justification, have also collapsed under scrutiny. A 2008 Department of Energy review found that extending daylight saving by four weeks cut electricity use by just 0.5% per day, roughly the equivalent of powering 100,000 homes for a year. A broader meta-analysis of 162 studies covering 44 countries showed an even smaller reduction of 0.34%. More recent studies from the University of Connecticut suggest daylight saving may actually increase demand, as longer daylight hours drive up air-conditioning use.

The economic rationale has shifted as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most U.S. workers are now employed in remote, flexible, and service-oriented jobs rather than agriculture and manufacturing. In this context, the lost sleep and productivity from clock changes often outweigh the minimal benefits.

Public opinion shows that frustration clearly. A 2022 AP-NORC poll found that 64% of Americans favored ending the switch altogether. A 2023 Monmouth University poll reported that 54% preferred permanent daylight saving, while 31% favored permanent standard time. Older adults and those working early shifts leaned toward standard time, while younger and urban populations leaned toward daylight saving. The only consensus is that people want the clock changing to stop.

Other countries have already acted. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to phase out seasonal clock changes, with member states choosing either permanent daylight saving or permanent standard time. Several countries in South America, including Argentina and Brazil, have abandoned the practice after studies showed little or no energy savings. In Asia, Japan and South Korea have debated eliminating seasonal changes, citing workplace productivity losses and public opposition. Advocates say that by holding on to a system many allies have already left behind, the United States not only lags in public health policy but also sends a mixed signal to its citizens, who overwhelmingly favor reform.

The United States remains stuck. Congress briefly considered making daylight saving time permanent through the Sunshine Protection Act of 2022, as reported by the Congressional Research Service, but the measure stalled. States cannot act independently without federal approval, leaving the country caught in a cycle that most citizens want gone.

For now, Americans continue the ritual, resetting clocks, adjusting schedules, and bearing the strain of a tradition born in wartime scarcity. Once a symbol of thrift and resilience, daylight saving now stands as proof that Americans agree the switching should end, yet remain divided over whether the future should be permanent daylight saving or permanent standard time.

By Alex Fernandez