Daylight Saving Time (DST) has been a long-standing tradition, but is it still necessary? Many Americans believe it does more harm than good, affecting their sleep, mood, and even their energy bills. A new survey reveals that most people dislike DST and would prefer an alternative. This article explores public sentiment on DST, its impact, and whether the government might finally put an end to it.
Key Takeaways
- 56% of Americans dislike DST — only 19% like it.
- Americans report DST is most likely to worsen their sleep quality (46%), mood (43%), and mental health (36%).
- 17% of Americans claim daylight savings increases their bills by an average of 18%, while just 5% notice a decrease by an average of 13%.
- Americans’ top preferred DST alternatives are permanent standard time (45%) and permanent daylight savings time (38%).
- 46% of Americans believe our current government will abolish DST in the next 4 years; 67% would support the government if they were to do it.
Percentage of Americans Disliking DST by Specific Demographics
- Gender
- Women: 59%
- Men: 52%
- Generation
- Baby boomers: 61%
- Gen X: 60%
- Millennials: 55%
- Gen Z: 49%
- Political Affiliation
- Independent: 62%
- Republican: 55%
- Democrat: 53%
- Living Environment
- Rural: 57%
- Suburban: 57%
- Urban: 52%
- Work Environment
- Remote: 62%
- On-site: 54%
- Hybrid: 48%
- General Monthly Energy Consumption
- Medium (500-1,500 kWh/month): 57%
- Low (less than 500 kWh/month): 53%
- High (more than 1,500 kWh/month): 53%
- Average Winter Weather Experiences
- Mild/no winter: 58%
- Cold with occasional snow: 56%
- Harsh winter: 55%
- Cool and rainy: 54%
- US Region
- Midwest (IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI): 61%
- West (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY): 58%
- South (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV): 53%
- Northeast (CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT): 52%
- Remote workers are the most likely to report that DST worsens their productivity (37%) and work schedule (29%).
- Millennials are the most likely to think DST worsens their sleep quality (48%) and mood (44%).
- Women are the most likely to say DST worsens their mental health (43%).
Most Common Events Americans Have Been Late or Early to Due to Daylight Saving Time Confusion
- Work/job shift: 17%
- School/college class: 12%
- TV show or live event timing: 8%
- A church or religious service: 7%
- Work meeting: 7%
Americans’ Top Preferred Daylight Saving Time Alternatives
- Permanent standard time (fully eliminating daylight savings): 45%
- Permanent daylight savings time (keeping daylight savings time year-round, eliminating clock change): 38%
- Adjust work/school hours instead of clocks: 13%
- Coordinated universal time for everyone (use UTC globally without local time adjustments): 11%
- Flexible time zones based on economic activities (certain industries shift hours seasonally while keeping clocks unchanged): 9%
- Only 24% of Americans are aware of President Trump’s stance on Daylight Saving Time.
- Republicans are the most likely to believe the current government will abolish DST in the next 4 years (63%); only 40% of Democrats believe it.
- Republicans are the most likely to support the government if they were looking to abolish DST (81%); 57% of Democrats would support it.
Methodology
We surveyed 1,011 Americans about their thoughts and experiences with Daylight Saving Time. When analyzing various demographics, we ensured that at least 6% of respondents represented a specific group. Due to rounding, percentages in this study may not total 100.
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