Should we still have Daylight Savings Time in the United States?

Nov. 3 marked the end of Daylight Savings Time (DST), and the evenings are now even shorter. DST may have lost or is losing its effectiveness since it was officially adopted across the U.S. in 1966 apart from Arizona and Hawaii.

When it was first used in the 20th century, it could help preserve energy by encouraging people to stay outside during the longer summer days, and not use artificial light. However, in our society today, being outside in humid, mosquito filled summer air may be less appealing than being inside a climate-controlled home, and therefore uses more energy. This begs the question, “Should we still have Daylight Savings Time in the United States?”

One editor said, “I love daylight savings time because I love when the days are longer, and you get more sunlight!”

“I don’t think the United States should get rid of Daylight Savings [Time]. I think it makes sense because of the change in daylight,” another editor agreed.

Another editor commented, “Honestly, I think we should get rid of Daylight Savings Time. It’s super confusing and we should just stick to one time schedule instead of all this back and forth. It’s also confusing how some countries around the world have opted out, yet the US and parts of Europe still observe DST.”

When you have a class in the evening or at night and it is dark, some may find it easy to be less motivated to pay attention. When nearing the end of fall semester, it can be dreary to walk out of a 2:50 p.m. class and realize it is going to be dark within the hour.

With DST ending, behavior patterns can shift. One editor said, “The time changes do affect my productivity. When it’s not Daylight Savings Time, and it gets dark at 4-5, all I want to do is crawl into bed. During daylight savings, when it’s still sunny out at 7pm, I feel way more productive and energized.”

An editor said, “Funny enough, I think daylight savings in the fall increases my productivity. This is because when the clocks go back an hour, I am so used to it still being an hour ahead, therefore I get things I need to get done regularly to realize that it is dark at 6pm, and I’ve completed everything I need to get done.”

It can be different to adjust to the new sunrise and sunset times, especially relating to sleep schedules. One editor explained, “In the fall I tend to get tired much earlier considering it gets dark earlier. Then when it comes to the mornings, I naturally wake up a lot earlier because of the time change.”

The clocks changing has an opposite effect on another editor, “The longer evenings make me want to go to bed earlier and wake up later. I really hate it!”

“I don’t think it affects my sleep schedule too much besides when the clocks fall back or spring forward,” one editor said.

“I’m indifferent to DST. It doesn’t make or break my routine, but I will say I do love that it’s lighter out during the Summer.”

Ultimately, the clocks causing a time change of an hour may only be on the forefront of people’s minds when DST starts and ends. While the U.S. Congress passed the SunshinProtection Act in 2022, that would make DST permanent, there is no end in sight for the clock switches with 250 days of DST on the calendar for 2025.