In just a few weeks, Americans will change clocks forward an hour to “spring ahead” to enjoy more evening sunlight and kick off daylight saving time 2026.
This year, DST begins Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m., when clocks move forward one hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., welcoming longer evenings in the warmer months.
DST will end Sunday, Nov. 1 when clocks “fall back” from 3 a.m. to 2 a.m., a move that will return the country back to standard time, sometimes called “winter time,” for the cooler months.
DST lasts 65% of the year, or 238 days, compared to 35% for standard time, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Under current U.S. federal law, DST begins the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November every year.
In 2026, DST will end the earliest it can ever possibly end on Nov. 1, 2026.
History of daylight saving time in the U.S.
The U.S. first introduced clock changes in 1918 under the name “Fast Time.”
The change held only for a few years. It was later reintroduced during World War II under the term “War Time.”
However, it wasn’t until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 that clock changing in the U.S. had official rules and legislation for the ritual.
Clock change controversy
DST isn’t universally loved.
A 2025 Gallup Poll found more than half of Americans want to do away with the practice altogether, though whether they’re in favor of DST or standard time varies widely.
Compared with results from Gallup’s 1999 clock-change survey, public support for daylight saving time has plummeted across all demographic groups.
“Most subgroups — by age, political affiliation, income and education — have seen declines in support for DST of 30 percentage points or more, except for low-income Americans, who show a 19-point drop,” the analytics company reports.
Survey results show 48% of Americans prefer permanent Standard Time over DST, while 24% responded in favor of permanent DST.
Only 19% voted in favor of switching between the two.
