Three-quarters of Britons voted to make summer time permanent, citing seasonal depression, higher crime rates, higher energy bills and poorer health outcomes during the winter as some of the motives.
Earlier this month, the US Senate voted unanimously to make daylight saving time permanent starting next year, ending the one-hour clock change cycle every two years. .
It comes as new research shows Britons also seem set to ditch the biannual clock change and stick to British Summer Time all year round.
This move would mean more daylight during the winter months, which could also lead to increased economic activity.
A poll by smart lighting company 4lite shows that 75.8% of UK voters would like to see the practice discontinued, while just 11.6% wanted to keep the clock change and 12.6% were undecided.
The poll backs the view of campaigners who have always argued that abolishing the clock change and maintaining British Summer Time all year benefits the nation as it saves energy and helps reduce traffic accidents.
Some voters even suggested the move could help people save on household expenses.
Nearly half, 47%, of those who took part in the survey think their energy bills go up by putting the clocks back in the winter and a quarter, 23.5%, think there are more traffic accidents. road.
Other reasons given were that less sunshine during the winter months leads to poorer mental health, people spend less time outdoors, children have less time to play, and the crime rate was increasing.
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As many as 40.2% of women also said they were less likely to go out in the winter because it got dark earlier, and almost a quarter said they stayed home because they felt vulnerable when they went out in the dark.
Jane Rylands, Chief Marketing Officer for 4lite, said, “With rising energy prices and a unanimous public vote for change in America, we believe the time is right to re-ignite the debate over been permanent in the UK.
“Our survey shows that many people think changing clocks seems like an outdated tradition and although now it’s part of normal life, we’ve only been doing it for 100 years.
“As we enter British Summer Time this weekend, the extra hour gives us more daylight to spend outside in the evening, will reduce energy bills and generally help improve our mood.”
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Some sleep scientists say that changing clocks even leads to an increased risk of heart attacks in the first three days after the clock change.
However, others argue that it could cause more harm than good and create disruptions and misalignment in our body’s circadian rhythm.
DST was first introduced in 1916, during World War I, and Germany was the first country to use DST. The UK followed suit a few weeks later.
One of the main people responsible for the worldwide adoption of daylight saving time was the British campaigner William Willett.
In 1907 he self-published a pamphlet called “Waste of Daylight”, supported by Winston Churchill.
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-27 00:01:00
