A majority of Americans are ready to do away with the practice of daylight saving time, according to new data published by Gallup.
Daylight saving time, which begins at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2025, is the practice of moving clocks forward one hour in the spring and back by one hour in the fall to extend evening daylight during warmer months. The United States begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. First adopted in 1918 to conserve energy, it is observed in all states except Hawaii and most of Arizona.
According to the first Gallup poll on the subject since 1999, 54% of Americans surveyed want an end to daylight saving time, 40% of US adults say they are in favor of daylight saving time, while 6% are uncertain.
Gallup noted that feelings toward DST have changed over time, with 73% favoring DST in 1999, and 74% favoring it in 1990.
Some experts believe the time change can lead to serious health consequences.
“Research shows 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,” said Carla Finkielstein, a professor at Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and an expert in circadian clocks and cancer biology. “Staying on standard time year-round is much better for our circadian rhythms, overall health, and well-being.”
Finkielstein’s position — that standard time better aligns with human circadian rhythms — aligns with the Society for Research in Biological Rhythms (SRBR), a scientific organization that warns daylight saving time can increase risks for heart disease, obesity, depression, and workplace accidents.
The SRBR, founded in 1986, advocates for policies that protect biological health, including eliminating DST in favor of permanent standard time.
Several other sleep related organizations share the SRBR’s view, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
AASM called for the elimination of daylight saving time as early as 2020, saying “public health and safety would benefit” from an end to DST.
Standard time more closely aligns with the daily rhythms of the body’s internal clock. The position statement also cites evidence of increased risks of motor vehicle accidents, cardiovascular events, and mood disturbances following the annual “spring forward” to daylight saving time.
“Permanent, year-round standard time is the best choice to most closely match our circadian sleep-wake cycle,” said lead author Dr. M. Adeel Rishi, a pulmonology, sleep medicine and critical care specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and vice chair of the AASM Public Safety Committee. “Daylight saving time results in more darkness in the morning and more light in the evening, disrupting the body’s natural rhythm.”|
via AASM position statement
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