Daylight Savings Time – Why The Debate Continues

Angie Kellen, Director, Client Services, Open Sky Communications

For more than 100 years, the debate has raged on whether Daylight Saving Time (DST) is actually helpful or hurtful. On November 3rd, in California we ‘fell back’ and gained an hour. What’s not to love about an extra hour of sleep on Sunday? But why do some people still feel out of sorts, not only on Sunday but days and weeks later? Several studies have shown that altering our sleep cycle twice a year (even by one hour) effects on our bodies and our society as a whole. Outside of these studies, some feel the benefits of the time change out-weigh everything else. In this blog, I will highlight how and why DST got started, who is adhering to DST today and the current Pros and Cons for keeping or ditching it.

Benjamin Franklin or the Bug Guy – Who gets credit for DST?

In 1784, more than a century before DST was adopted, Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea in a satirical letter to the authors of The Journal of Paris. His proposition was to save money (keep in mind that at the time people would be conserving candle wax instead of electricity). To support his ‘outrageous plan’, Franklin suggested levying taxes on shutters, rationing candles, placing a ban on non-emergency coach travel after dark, and firing cannons at sunrise to wake the late-sleepers. Even though his letter brought up some practical points, Franklin may have written it as an excuse to poke fun at the French for being lazy. He wrote that the amount of sunlight that is wasted each morning would likely come as a shock to readers who “have never seen any signs of sunshine before noon.” Franklin goes on to suggest that the French should wake up earlier to take advantage of “using sunshine instead of candles.”

While Franklin’s letter is both amusing and plausible, the official credit for DST goes to a bug collector! George Vernon Hudson, a New Zealand entomologist, wanted longer hours to study insects. While working at a post office by day, Hudson did most of his bug hunting at night and became frustrated by how early the sun set during the summer time. He proposed that ‘springing the clocks forward’ would provide more daylight for bug collecting, along with other evening activities. The clocks could then be switched back in the winter time when people (and more importantly, bugs) are less likely to be outside. In 1895, the idea was proposed to a scientific society in New Zealand and it was promptly dismissed for being pointless and too complicated. It would be two decades later that DST began to spread across the developed world. Truth or legend? You can pick your favorite, but it is always Ben and George that are most often discussed in conversations around who gets credit for DST.

Who adheres to DST?

That is an ever-changing answer. In 1916, Germany became the first country to officially adopt DST. In an effort to conserve coal during World War I, Britain, along with many other European nations, quickly followed. In 1918, DST came to the U.S. A year after entering the war, the U.S. began practicing DST to enable electricity-savings. However, most countries, including the U.S., ended their official observance of DST in post-wartime.

By 1966, 100 million Americans were practicing DST due to local laws. Congress passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966, with the “saving” to begin on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday of October. States had the ability to opt out. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 then extended DST in the U.S., with DST beginning on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November. As a result, there are several weeks where the DST schedule in the U.S. is out of sync with that of other countries that observe DST.

DST has been widely practiced across the U.S, but it’s still not mandated by federal law. Those unhappy about ‘springing forward’ and ‘falling back’ each year could stop the madness by moving to Hawaii or Arizona. These states certainly aren’t in need of extra sunlight, so every spring they skip the jump. Let’s look at the Navajo Nation, which does observe the change. The reservation is located in Arizona, and the smaller Hopi reservation is located within the Navajo Nation. The Hopi ignore DST, along with the rest of Arizona, which makes the Navajo Nation a type of DST donut or bagel, if you like.

In March this year, the European Parliament’s Traffic Commission voted 23 to 11 to eliminate daylight savings in the EU, to be effective in 2021. But before the change is finalized, the Council of Member States will vote on this, and if approved, each member state will then decide independently whether or not to adopt the change.

Pros and Cons for keeping/eliminating DST

At a high level, people in favor of keeping DST believe it allows drivers to commute more safely in daylight, promotes outdoor activities, and stimulates the economy. Those against DST say that the change is a harmful disruption to health and work productivity, and is expensive. So, let’s look as some of the studies under the Con category first, mainly because I like to end on a positive note.

Cons

DST is Bad for Health: A 2016 study found that the overall rate for stroke was 8% higher in the two days after daylight saving time. Cancer victims were 25% more likely to have a stroke during that time, and people older than 65 were 20% more likely to have a stroke. When Americans gain an hour of sleep at the end of DST, the risk of heart attack decreases by 21%, according to a University of Colorado study. But when DST begins and we “spring forward,” the risk of heart attack increases by 25%. The switch to DST was shown by one study to be responsible for over 30 fatal automobile crashes.

DST Is Expensive: A financial cost for the biannual switch is hard to nail down, but a study by Chmura Economics & Analytics estimated that daylight saving time costs the U.S. more than $430 million a year. Other figures are even higher; a 2008 report by the Independent Institute claimed the annual costs for changing clocks twice a year could be as high as $1.7 billion. More recent research suggests it’s probably not saving any megawatts of power at all. People may not be turning on their lights for as many hours during DST, but the heating and air conditioning costs during those extended daylight hours far surpassed any electricity saved by less lighting time.

Pros

DST Promotes Safety: Longer daylight hours make driving safer, lowers car accident rates, and lowers the risk of pedestrians being hit by a car. Economists Jennifer Doleac, PhD, and Nicholas Sanders, PhD, found that robberies drop about 7% overall, and 27% in the evening hours after the spring time change. They noted, “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 to 8 PM, and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify the wrongdoers.” Also, daylight in the evening makes it safer for joggers, people walking dogs after work, and children playing outside, among others, because drivers are able to see people more easily and criminal activity is lowered.

DST Is Good for the Economy: More daylight translates into more people shopping after work, increasing retail sales, and more people driving, increasing gas and snacks sales for eight months of the year while we are in DST. The golf industry reported that one month of DST was worth $200 to $400 million because of the extended evening hours golfers can play. In 2007, an estimated $59 million was saved because fewer robberies were committed thanks to the sun being up later. Chambers of Commerce tend to support DST because of the positive effect on the economy. And in the end, consumer spending increases during DST, giving the economy a nice boost.

There are many more Pros and Cons, but these are some of the key issues. As you can see, depending upon where you live and your profession, DST can be good or bad. In the U.S., there are at least 18 states that have considered bills in the past few years to permanently move to either standard time or daylight saving time. But for now, it appears that the debate will continue on, at least until the next time change.