‘DST seems completely pointless’: Poll finds most Live Science readers want to abolish daylight saving time

It’s that time of year again. Many people finished work and dawn started early. On Sunday, November 2, residents of the 48 states and the Navajo Nation moved their clocks back one hour, ending daylight saving time (DST). In Europe, DST ended on Sunday, October 26th.

Although the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) favors establishing a permanent standard time, many would like to keep DST year-round. A Live Science poll published on October 28 asked readers what they thought about the controversial issue of whether to abolish daylight saving time.

Live Science’s largest poll to date had 3,280 readers respond by the end of the voting period on November 6th. A majority said they would abolish DST, and 76% said they would observe standard time permanently. Meanwhile, 18% said they would rather see DST continue year-round.

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Only about 4% of respondents wanted the status quo, and about 1% said they wanted to continue moving back and forth between DST and standard time, but not in the same way as the current system. The remaining 1% were undecided.

“I would abolish it. DST just seems pointless,” said Detroit resident Devin Smith. Fellow Michiganders echoed this sentiment, with Rob Baer concurring in favoring standard time because “daylight at 10 p.m. in the summer is not as important as daylight at 8 a.m. in the winter to get kids safely to school.”

However, some people explained that they wanted to stay on daylight saving time permanently because they wanted lighter nights. “More evening sunlight means more meaningful time after work or school,” writes M’Lud. “It’s normal to wake up in the dark. Arriving home in the dark can be depressing.”

Dave M agreed, saying he would like to have DST year-round to remove “the shock of suddenly driving home from work in the dark every November.” Dave added that the annual reduction in daylight saving time also limits opportunities for recreational activities, and Jane B also said that permanent DST would “make it easier to conduct after-hours operations.”

Other studies were guided by research into the negative health effects of a mismatch between body clocks and the environment. “The science is clear, standard time is solar time,” Pazke said. “That shouldn’t even be a question.”

What do you think? Please share your opinion in the comments section below.