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Most Americans hate the time change


Two-thirds of Americans say they would like to eliminate changing the clocks twice a year, following the leads of Arizona and Hawaii, which do not observe Daylight Saving Time. If the U.S. were to stop changing its clocks, more Americans would prefer to permanently spring forward and stay in Daylight Saving Time all year than to fall back to year-round Standard Time. That may be because most Americans prefer for it to get darker later in the evening, while views about when it gets light in the morning are more split. But there's more support than opposition for both Permanent Standard Time and Permanent Daylight Saving Time, meaning many Americans support ending the yearly time change regardless of which time is picked.


yougov.com/en-us/articles/5423…

The times they are a-changin' — but most Americans would rather they not

Two-thirds of Americans want to stop changing clocks twice a year. More would prefer Permanent Daylight Saving Time, than Permanent Standard Time (43% vs. 28%).
yougov.com
in reply to Joyce Donahue

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Joyce Donahue

I have 3 wall clocks that needed manual changing... a real issue for me now with my balance issues and lack of full mobility in my right arm. It was an effort to change them.

Yes, I remember that thing they tried in the 70's, but people are still stupidly fixated on "more daylight" in the evening. Personally, I'm for keeping Standard Time.

in reply to Joyce Donahue

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Brian Fitzgerald

For people with old wall clocks, I would just reccomend keeping them on standard time and "remembering" that they do not show "summer time". A "reminder thing" could be located somewhere near at least one of them. A calendar might be appropriate for that. Appointment times could be checked on a phone that is automatically updated by the carrier, while the old clocks provide the desired artistic ambiance.
in reply to Joyce Donahue

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Brian Fitzgerald

Comparative Variation Table


You can see how the "acceleration" of daylight variation increases as you move further north:

LatitudeTypical RegionMax DaylightMin DaylightAnnual Variation
0 degreesEquator12h 08m12h 06m~2 mins
23.5 degrees NTropic of Cancer13h 35m10h 47m~2h 48m
42 degrees NChicago / Rome15h 16m9h 14m~6h 02m
45 degrees NPortland / Bordeaux15h 37m8h 46m~6h 51m
60 degreesOslo / Anchorage18h 52m5h 45m~13h 07m

The Speed of Change


In early March, locations at 45 degrees N gain roughly 3 minutes and 15 seconds of daylight every day. This rapid change is one of the most defining characteristics of spring and autumn at this latitude.

in reply to Joyce Donahue

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Brian Fitzgerald

The history of Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the United States and Europe is a patchwork of wartime necessities, energy crises, and attempts at international synchronization.

🇺🇸 United States: From Chaos to Uniformity


In the early 20th century, DST was inconsistent and often left to local municipalities, leading to "time chaos" for Jump-and-Rail industries.

  • 1918–1919: First introduced during WWI via the Standard Time Act to conserve fuel. It was widely unpopular among farmers and repealed shortly after the war.
  • 1942–1945: "War Time" was instituted year-round during WWII to save energy.
  • 1945–1966: The "Era of Confusion." There was no federal law, so towns and cities decided their own dates. A bus ride from West Virginia to Ohio could involve seven different time changes.
  • 1966: The Uniform Time Act established a standard: the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.
  • 1987: The start date was moved to the first Sunday in April.
  • 2007–Present: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended DST significantly. It now begins the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November.

🇪🇺 Europe: The Path to Synchronization


European nations originally adopted DST individually, often mirroring the U.S. wartime shifts, but synchronization across the continent took decades.

  • 1916: Germany and Austria-Hungary were the first to adopt DST during WWI, followed quickly by the UK and France. Most dropped it after the war.
  • 1940–1945: Many occupied countries were forced onto "German Summer Time" (GMT+2) during WWII. The UK even used "Double Summer Time" (GMT+2) to maximize factory light.
  • 1970s: The Global Oil Crisis prompted most European countries to reintroduce DST to reduce electricity demand for lighting.
  • 1996: The European Union standardized DST dates across all member states to facilitate trade and transport.
  • Present: Under EU law, "Summer Time" begins the last Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday in October.

Key Differences & Modern Status

FeatureUnited StatesEuropean Union
Current Start2nd Sunday in MarchLast Sunday in March
Current End1st Sunday in NovemberLast Sunday in October
Change Time2:00 AM local time1:00 AM UTC (simultaneous)

Recent Trends


In both regions, there is significant political momentum to abolish seasonal time changes entirely. In the U.S., the Sunshine Protection Act aims to make DST permanent, while the EU Parliament voted in 2019 to scrap the biannual switch, though the transition has been stalled by member-state coordination and global events.

This summary was generated by Gemini and may contain inaccuracies of omission. The changes implemented by Indiana is an example of this.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_…

When you look at the updates to the timezone routines in computers, you can see that legislators have been busy fussing with the laws about DST in many countries, particularly in South America.

Time in Indiana - Wikipedia

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