Sunday Scaries just got worse with the end of daylight savings. Daylight savings, or more technically daylight saving time (DST), ended this past Sunday, meaning that the clocks “fell back” an hour. Daylight savings was put in place in 1918 with the passing of the Standard Time Act, which also created the time zones that are in effect today. The goal was to cut back on energy costs during war time because the added hour would “extend” the sunlight from the early spring through the fall, meaning that people would not resort to using light sources as early in the day. The notion, however, was void after the First World War ended. DST was not used again in the United States until after World War II, with the renewal of energy conservation efforts.
While some may rejoice at the prospect of an extra hour of sleep, the implications of the time change mean that it gets dark earlier. DST seems to be a double-edged sword: the sun setting around 5:00 P.M now is not exactly a catalyst for productivity, but there are benefits when it begins in March, such as encouraging people to go out more and enjoy the daylight. However, these benefits go away once DST ends in November.
To capture some student perspectives on this subject matter, I conducted a mini survey consisting of six questions. This survey was sent via Google Forms to ten students, to be filled out anonymously. The results offer a very simple overview of what a few students think, though a much larger sample pool would be needed to more accurately assess the average student’s opinion on DST.
I began by asking “What is your overall opinion on daylight savings?” Surprisingly, only 60% reported a negative feeling, while 30% felt ambiguous, which left the remaining 10% with a positive opinion. The second question, “Has the time change affected your productivity?” was split evenly half-and-half, with 50% saying “yes” and 50% saying “no.” When asked if the time change had an effect on their mood, 70% answered “yes” and the other 30% said “no.” As for agreeing or disagreeing with the original reason DST was implemented–referring to the goals of saving energy–80% supported the rationale, while 20% disagreed. Interestingly, the fifth question–“Do you think the original reasoning for daylight savings still applies today?”–produced results inverse to the previous question: 20% “yes” and 80% “no.” Finally, when asked, “Would you back a permanent change to eliminate daylight savings?” 90% chose “yes” and 10% put “would have to read more about it” as the answer.
As shown above, there is not exactly an outstanding favorable opinion towards DST. To be clear, this survey is in no way reflective of all UVA students because of its small sample, but it was interesting to see how this group of students seemed to prefer to do away with the time change altogether.
This frustration with DST is also reflected in the popular app YikYak, which allows users to post anonymously within a community. Users of the UVA YikYak have been quite active these past few days, and students have a lot to say on the subject of daylight savings. Amidst the post-Halloween regretful reflections and the surmounting stress about schoolwork are multiple complaints about DST. One user posted, “The human mind can’t comprehend how much hatred I hold for daylight savings,” while another declared, “Change the clock back…NOW I CANT TAKE IT.” Another memorable post was a user saying “love that i have to walk outside with my headphones off at 6pm now,” referring to the discomfort that the early sunset has brought. For all the jokes and humor, these posts reveal how DST has impacted their lives, with several mentioning the topic of seasonal depression and how less sunlight brings down people’s moods. The change from DST seems to be more than just an hour ahead on the clock; the end of daylight savings can genuinely be a disruption in many students’ lives and routines.
DST was originally created to save energy in a time of crisis. This logic is not as relevant today, as technological developments have allowed for more energy-efficient light solutions. As put by The New York Times, “…does daylight time still save energy? Not really…Lighting has become a smaller part of overall energy consumption, and extending the use of daylight hours encourages people to use more air conditioning and heating.” With this explanation in mind, there must be better ways to accomplish the original goal without interrupting people’s daily routines or sleep schedules. As such, the justification for DST is not as strong an argument as it was before. Given that the time change is the main frustration, now is the time to explore other possibilities that do not require a one hour time skip ahead or behind. Perhaps it is worth considering whether alternative, more eco-friendly solutions for energy issues are better than continuing daylight savings each year.
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