In 1974, the approval rate for permanent daylight saving time dropped from 79% to 42% within two months.

Posted by The Charlie Kirk Show, Aug 5, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 2 contradict5 support
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 85%

The Charlie Kirk ShowAug 5, 2026

The 79% to 42% approval drop is supported by PolitiFact, which cites NORC, and by multiple reports citing the New York Times, all covering December 1973 to February 1974, roughly two months.

A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.

What was said

… I don't want to have anyone fact check me. That's, that's data. However, this is basically going from November to February, and it's from the hours of 5 p.m. To 8 p.m., and it's a, it's a real trade off. What we do have is, we tried this in 1974, and within about two months, the approval rate went from 79% down to 42% because there were children being killed at bus stops, and people hated it so much. They hated the dark mornings. They thought they wanted it because it's kind of the same thing happening again. …

The Charlie Kirk Show · Aug 5, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. PolitiFact rates as True that 79% of Americans favored the change in December 1973, while the figure stood at 42% in February 1974, according to the National Opinion Research Center.[1]

Supports. Smithsonian and Medical Xpress both report approval falling from 79% in December 1973 to 42% by February 1974, attributing the figures to the New York Times.[2][3]

Supports. Popular Science and Newsfromthestates repeat the 79% to 42% drop over December 1973 to February 1974, consistent with the primary record.[4][5]

Contradicts. Reuters and Dispatch report a different drop, from roughly 72% in December 1973 to 49% by February 1974, attributed to History. This conflicts with the NORC and NYT figures but does not overturn the primary record.[6][7]

Context. The claim's 'in 1974' framing fits the public-opinion decline that ran from December 1973 through February 1974, which spans the end of 1973 and early 1974.[1][2]