Voters Support Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent
By Danielle Deiseroth and Devi Ruia
Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent beginning in 2023. This would end the biannual changing of clocks and increase daylight in the evenings.
In a March 2022 national survey, Data for Progress asked likely voters for their opinions about the changing of clocks and their support for making daylight saving time permanent. We find that voters want to make daylight saving time permanent, though voters over 45 express stronger preferences than younger voters.
First, we asked voters what time of day they enjoy most. While a plurality (47 percent) says evenings, there is a stark contrast among younger and older voters. Unsurprisingly, only 20 percent of younger voters say they enjoy mornings the most, compared to nearly a third (32 percent) of older voters. Meanwhile, over half (53 percent) of younger voters enjoy evenings the most, compared to only 44 percent of older voters.
Next, we asked voters whether they prefer the sun rising early in the morning or later in the morning, with caveats about the timing of afternoon and evening sunlight. By roughly a 2-to-1 margin, voters prefer the sun rising later in the morning so it can be light out in the afternoon and evening.
When asked about the yearly practice of “springing forward” and “falling back” an hour, a majority of voters (63 percent) say the U.S. should stop the changing of clocks. Again, there is a sharp contrast between older and younger voters. While 70 percent of older voters want to stop changing the clocks, only 50 percent of younger voters say the same. This difference can be attributed to younger voters expressing slightly more preference toward keeping the changing of the clocks and a higher percentage of younger voters indicating they have “no opinion” about the issue.
Finally, we asked voters whether they support or oppose the Sunshine Protection Act. Over two-thirds of voters (69 percent) support this legislation. Older voters support the bill by a +56-point margin, while younger voters support it by a +28-point margin.
It’s clear that voters want to stop the practice of changing clocks forward and backward biannually. Additionally, voters strongly support making daylight saving time permanent. As the Sunshine Protection Act moves to the House of Representatives, Congress should keep in mind that voters strongly support this legislation.
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Lead Climate Strategist at Data for Progress.
Devi Ruia (@DeviRuia) is the Deputy Press Secretary at Data for Progress.