A photo illustration juxtaposes standard time with daylight savings time at the South Carolina State Capitol Building. For Heather Roy, a public school teacher in South Carolina, the event passes without much thought. “I’m going back to work in the dark, but that’s really the only difference that I see as far as the changes (with daylight savings time). It doesn’t impact me too much,” Roy said. Photo illustration by Cooper Jones
With the approaching 2025 daylight saving time, sentiment on it differs between the average citizen and high-power individuals.
In the bustling streets of the Soda City Market in Columbia, South Carolina, the average citizen roams, either anticipating or shrugging off the upcoming start of daylight saving time (DST) on March 9. But, even as citizens brush off the changing of the clocks, in Washington, D.C., politicians and healthcare professionals alike possess a strong sentiment to eliminate DST.
A time tradition beginning during World War I, DST has become a controversial topic since its inception. According to a May 2024 YouGov survey, 58% of Democrats and 63% of Republicans favor making DST – which occurs primarily in the spring and summer months – permanent. Despite the popular favor, citizens have seen the event come under attack.
Should we save daylight? by ODYSSEY Media Group
A slideshow of Soda City Market attendees’ reactions to the upcoming daylight savings time change is shown. Most attendees showed indifference to the clocks changing, but University of New York at Albany student Jordan Teo disagreed. “When I was younger (and) I wasn’t affected by the changing hours and the sleep schedule, I didn’t mind (daylight savings time). Now that I’m older, that hour shift in sleep, that backtracking one hour (and) forwarding one hour, it just messes with my sleep, especially when exams are nearby,” Teo said. Slideshow by Izzy Hammock and Wyatt Meyer
“I would like to keep (DST) the way it’s going to be next week. I know (from) watching TV the reasons that (people) want to leave (DST) is because people are more productive in the earlier daylight,” Jy Runy, an attendee at the Soda City Market, said. “But, to me, I (am) happier when it’s not dark at 5:30 and 6 p.m.”
For years, government officials have been modifying and discussing the legislation surrounding DST. Most recently, President Donald Trump expressed his administration’s distaste for the upcoming event, juxtaposing it against the average citizens’ love for DST.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!” Trump stated in a Truth Social post on Dec. 13, 2024. “Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation.”
With increased sentiment to eliminate DST in political spheres, average citizens find their bland interest in DST further attacked by healthcare professionals. In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine released a position statement opposing keeping DST around and in favor of standard time, citing a disruption to the human body’s natural circadian rhythm, leading to health risks.
“(DST) was originally for farmers (because) the sun, throughout the year, would change. I understand, historically, why it was important, but nowadays it’s just kind of disruptive,” nursing researcher Avery Bechthold said. “I know (there is) research that it affects people (to) more likely to have heart attacks.”
“(I’m) indifferent. I don’t see the point in (DST) but understand (that) time shifts every now and then.(DST has) been around since I’ve been alive, so I’m just accustomed to it. But, I don’t understand exactly why we have it.”
— Kevin Grubbs,
Engineer
Ultimately, while politicians care about government efficiency and health care professionals want to maintain the health of people, the average citizen does not reciprocate the same intensity towards DST. Simply put, everyday citizens just want light when they go out during the evening or simply do not care.
“(I’m) indifferent. I don’t see the point in (DST) but understand (that) time shifts every now and then,” Grubbs said. “(DST has) been around since I’ve been alive, so I’m just accustomed to it. But, I don’t understand exactly why we have it.”
