Is Daylight Saving Time Worth It?
As I’m sure you’re aware, the clocks went back last night due to Daylight Saving Time. But, is this system worth the hassle? It was put in place so that we make the most of natural light by waking up later in the autumn and going to sleep earlier in the spring. However, Daylight Saving Time can be very confusing and often leads to late alarms and messed up schedules. After I changed my clock, I set out to find out my local area actually think it’s helpful of whether they think it’s more hassle than it’s worth.
First off, a bit of history. The concept was first introduced in the 19th century and was spread mainly during WWI to save coal. It was standardised in 1966 by The Uniform Time Act and we started using it in the UK in 1972.
Now onto my interviewees. I asked three people whether they thought Daylight Saving Time helped them or if they thought it was confusing. Firstly, Amy Talbot told me that she thinks Daylight Saving Time is “useful” because she can “use natural light”. She also said this lets her “save electricity and therefore help the planet”.
Next, Eloise Atherton told me that she thinks Daylight Saving Time is helpful because “otherwise it would be dark all the time”. She also said that she doesn’t find the change in time confusing because “life is so automated that my phone does it anyway”. She told me that her phone makes it so that she doesn’t actually have to change any clocks.
Finally, Zoe Hope said that Daylight Saving Time is problematic because “it doesn’t help people’s sleep schedules” and that the time jump was confusing.
To conclude, although some people think that the concept is confusing and can mess up people’s schedules, most of the people I asked think that Daylight Saving Time helps because they can make the most out of natural light.
-Anabel Woodward, Notre Dame School
