People Love to Hate Changing Clocks Twice a Year, But Can't Agree How to Fix It

Clocks will skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday for daylight saving time, creating a 23-hour day that throws off sleep schedules and inspires millions of complaints.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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This weekend, clocks will move ahead an hour for daylight saving time, causing disruption to sleep schedules, early morning routines, and sparking renewed debate over the twice-yearly clock changes. While polls show most people dislike the current system, there is no consensus on how to fix it, with proposals ranging from making daylight saving time permanent to splitting the difference and moving clocks 30 minutes.

Why it matters

The biannual clock changes have been shown to negatively impact health and safety, with increased risks of fatal vehicle crashes, heart attacks, and strokes in the days following the time change. However, efforts to abolish or reform the system have faced obstacles, as any change would create winners and losers depending on whether standard or daylight saving time is adopted permanently.

The details

About 1 in 10 U.S. adults favor the current system of changing the clocks, while about half oppose it. If forced to choose, most Americans say they would prefer to make daylight saving time permanent. Since 2018, 19 states have adopted laws calling for a move to permanent daylight saving time, but Congress would need to pass a law to allow this. Other proposals include splitting the difference and moving clocks 30 minutes, or having states decide individually whether to observe standard or daylight saving time.

  • Clocks will skip ahead an hour at 2 a.m. Sunday for daylight saving time.

The players

Genie Lauren

A 41-year-old health care worker who spends her winters in New York City, keeping an eye on the sunrise and sunset and "white-knuckling it" until the sun is up late enough for her to feel like doing anything outside her apartment after work.

Jay Pea

The president of Save Standard Time, an organization devoted to switching to standard time for good.

Karin Johnson

The vice president of the advocacy group Save Standard Time and a professor of neurology at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Kenneth Wright

A professor and director of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the University of Colorado.

Scott Yates

A Colorado man who runs the website Lock the Clock and wants the federal government to pass a law to end the twice-a-year clock change in two years.

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What they’re saying

“The majority of the year we're in daylight savings time. What are we doing this for?”

— Genie Lauren (Associated Press)

“There's no law we can pass to move the sun to our will.”

— Jay Pea, President, Save Standard Time (Associated Press)

“Morning light is what's really critical for setting our circadian rhythms each day.”

— Karin Johnson, Vice President, Save Standard Time; Professor of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (Associated Press)

“Based on the evidence for our health and well-being and safety, the best option for us as a country now is to choose to go to permanent standard time.”

— Kenneth Wright, Professor and Director, Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, University of Colorado (Associated Press)

“If you're the boss, tell all your employees on Monday that they can come in an hour later. And if you aren't the boss, tell your boss that you think you should come in an hour later on Monday. Sleep in for safety.”

— Scott Yates, Founder, Lock the Clock (Associated Press)

What’s next

The U.S. Senate passed a bill in 2022 to move to permanent daylight saving time, but a similar House bill has not been brought to a vote. Some states have adopted laws calling for a move to permanent daylight saving time, but these changes would require Congressional approval.

The takeaway

The debate over how to handle the biannual clock changes highlights the challenges of imposing a uniform time system on a rotating planet. While most Americans dislike the current system, there is no easy solution that satisfies all stakeholders, from public health experts who favor standard time to industries like golf that prefer daylight saving time. Resolving this long-standing issue will require compromise and political will at the federal level.