As we get ready to set the clocks back this weekend, a new survey reveals how Americans actually feel about the time change. While 22% say they welcome the practice of moving clocks an hour forward or backward every fall and spring, 21% are neutral and 57% don’t like it at all.
The survey of 1,002 U.S. adults, conducted by Payless Power, also finds:
- Only 25% of respondents think changing the clocks twice a year is necessary, while 75% think it’s not.
- Gen Z is the generation that likes the time change the most at 29%.
- They’re also the generation most likely to believe adjusting clocks for Daylight Saving Time (DST) is necessary, as 36% of them do, compared to 27% of baby boomers, 25% of Gen X and 23% of millennials.
- More than eight in 10 (83%) believe DST fails to achieve its primary goal of conserving energy.
- DST costs one in six Americans an average of $51 more in their electricity bills each month.
- Seven in 10 (70%) think DST is a waste of time and money.
- The top reasons Americans oppose DST include that it disrupts sleep (71%), adjusting sleep schedules is challenging (60%), it affects mood and mental health (50%), productivity goes down because of the lack of sleep (48%), and it increases traffic accidents (22%).
- Overall, 74% of Americans support the idea of ending DST altogether.
Source: Payless Power