Daylight savings time (DST) is just around the corner. This Sunday, March 8, the clocks will spring forward again, and with the change comes the ongoing conversation about, well—why are we doing this, anyway? According to an AP-NORC poll, only 12% of Americans favor DST, while 47% oppose it and 40% are neutral.
In Canada’s British Columbia (BC) province, the government has finally decided to take matters into its own hands, and come this Sunday, daylight saving time (DST) will be permanent year-round.
“This decision isn’t just about clocks. It’s about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy,” British Columbia premier David Eby said in a release. “I am hopeful that our American neighbours will soon join us in ending disruptive time changes.”
Much like the BC province, there are some U.S. states that have also refused to adhere to the time changes—namely, Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), as well as the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands.
In fact, any U.S. state can ditch the time change by state law in accordance with the Uniform Time Act, per the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What to know about daylight saving time 2026
This Saturday, March 8, at 2 a.m. local time, most Americans will turn back their clocks to 1 a.m. That change will last until this fall, on Sunday, November 1—the end of DST, when the clocks fall backward.
The upcoming time change means that in New York City, for example, the sunset won’t occur until 6:55 p.m. this Sunday.
How daylight savings time shifts affect health
In its news release, the BC government said the move away from DST would improve people’s overall health, be less disruptive, and most importantly, add back a crucial hour of an extra daylight to dark winter months.
Research from Stanford Medicine backs this up: Scientists there found changing the clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to higher rates of stroke and obesity, and has even been linked to more car crashes.