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On Sunday, March 9, most Americans will set their clocks forward by one hour—at least the ones that still need manual adjustments—in observance of daylight saving time, which will last until November 2, when they’ll "fall back" to standard time.
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But why do we even have daylight saving time? The U.S. introduced daylight saving time in 1918 with the passage of the Standard Time Act, which established standard and daylight saving times. According to the Department of Defense, the change was made during World War I to save energy by extending daylight hours in the evening.
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The practice was revived during World War II and was not fully standardized until 1966, when the Uniform Time Act was passed, creating a nationwide system for daylight saving time.
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However, not all states participate in daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it, nor do U.S. territories like American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
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The majority of Americans are in favor of ending the clock changes. A 2023 YouGov poll revealed that 62% of Americans wanted to stop changing their clocks, while only 21% wanted to maintain the current system.
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Among those who favored abolishing the practice, 50% preferred year-round daylight saving time, while 31% preferred keeping standard time year-round.
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Sleep experts, however, advocate for permanent standard time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine stated in a 2024 article in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine that the U.S. should eliminate seasonal time changes and adopt a fixed, year-round time.
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They argue that year-round standard time aligns better with human circadian rhythms and provides significant health and safety benefits.
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