NEW YORK (AP) — Yes, you can get an extra hour of sleep. But even so, it could be one of the scariest weekends on the American calendar, marking the end of daylight saving time.
Just 12% of American adults support the current daylight saving time system, which changes clocks twice a year in most states, while 47% oppose and 40% are neutral, according to a new Associated Press-NORC poll.
Across the country, clocks will be set back an hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday to mark a return to standard time and increased morning light. poll from Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center For many Americans, this represents an unwelcome change, and if given a choice, most would prefer to have extra time in the evening.
Pranava Jayanti is among those strongly opposed to the switch. The 31-year-old Los Angeles resident grew up in India, where clocks never changed. When he came to the United States for graduate school, some relatives made sure to let him know.
Jayanti said she thought she was prepared because it got dark so quickly later in the day, “but when it actually happened, I was still surprised.”
There are also calls for the United States to stop making changes twice a year. part of the law It stalled after being passed by the Senate in 2022. Groups urging the country to stick to once a year include the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and even President Donald Trump. Who posted on social media? About it earlier this year.
However, polls have found that permanent daylight saving time (not daylight saving time as many people colloquially refer to it) is unpopular with a significant number of people, especially those who prefer mornings.
Changing the clock is unpopular
America started first Using time shift over 100 years agoduring World War I, and again during World War II. Congress passed a law in 1966 that allowed states to decide whether to hold it or not, but required that the choice be uniform across the territory. All states except Arizona and Hawaii will time shift. These two states remain on standard time throughout the year.
Time changes also occur in other parts of the world such as Canada and Europe, but not in other regions such as Asia. Europe and North America change the clock every other weekAs a result, there are short periods when the time difference between regions is one hour shorter than during other periods of the year.
But while about half of U.S. adults oppose the switch (including 27% who “strongly” oppose it), many are somehow unconcerned. This is especially true for adults under 30, with 51% saying they neither approve nor oppose the practice. People over the age of 30 are more likely to disagree, with about half of them saying they don’t like changing their clocks twice a year.
If the country had to choose just one time to use, more than half (56%) of adults would like to make daylight saving time permanent, which reduces morning light and increases evening light. About 4 out of 10 people prefer standard hours, with light in the morning and light in the evening.
People who consider themselves “night owls” are significantly more in favor of permanent daylight saving time, with 61% saying this is their choice.
“Morning people” are almost evenly split, with 49% wanting permanent daylight savings time and 50% wanting permanent standard time.
Vicky Robson is one such night owl. If the 74-year-old retired nurse had to choose only one time, it would definitely be permanent daylight saving time.
“I don’t need morning light because I don’t get up early,” said Robson, of Albert Lea, Minnesota. “I need it more in the late afternoon and early evening. I like the later light hours because I get to do things at that time. I always worked the night shift, but now that I’m retired, if it’s bright, I’ll go outside after dinner and take a walk.”
Why clock changes still occur
Although there is no overwhelming evidence that daylight saving time or standard time is better for society, We have advice on how to adjust Sleep and coping habits.
A new study from Stanford University has found that, at least when it comes to humans and their internal body clocks, or circadian rhythms, spending the same amount of time is better for your health than changing it. We also found that standard time had slightly better health benefits than daylight saving time.
“The more light there is in the early morning, the more robust the clock becomes,” said Jamie Zeitzer, one of the study authors and co-director of Stanford University’s Sleep Circadian Science Center.
But that’s only one aspect, he added. There are many other things as well, ranging from economics to people’s personal preferences.
“This is something that people feel very passionate about, and their passion is usually driven by themselves, what they like,” he said. “There is no time policy that will make everyone happy.”
The United States attempted to move to permanent daylight saving time once in the mid-1970s. It was supposed to be a two-year experiment, but it was so unpopular that it lasted less than a year.
Chad Orzell, a professor of physics and astronomy at Union College and author of “A Brief History of Timekeeper,” says that for now, time shifts and the accompanying seasonal changes in daylight hours are part of our culture.
“People really like spending long summer nights,” he said. But “we go back in the fall to avoid being in the dark until we get to work, which everyone hates. … In the winter, the sun rises earlier, and in the summer, it sets later. We like both. The trade-off is that we have to change our watches twice a year.”
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Sanders reported from Washington.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,289 adults was conducted Oct. 9-13 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
