Majority of Dutch want to stick to winter time all year

The vast majority of Dutch are for scrapping daylight savings time, according to a survey among over 1,800 Dutch ordered by Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs and Kingdom relations. 41 percent want to keep winter time all year, approximately a quarter want summer time to be the standard time, and another quarter want to stick to the current system of adjusting the clock twice a year, NOS reports.

Earlier this year President Jean-Claude Juncker of the European Commission called for scrapping daylight savings time. He wants the EU member states to chose between permanent summer- of winter time. The Dutch government decided not to rush into the decision. Deputy Prime Minister Hugo de Jonge also stressed the need to coordinate with other member states, especially with the Benelux countries and Germany.

Minister Ollongren wants to first study the three different time systems before a decision is made. She is pleased that the other member states are also taking their time with this matter. At the end of October it became clear that daylight savings time can only be abolished in 2021 at the earliest. "Then we still have to change the clock a few times, but then we have a result we can use", she said, according to NOS.

The survey got a number of comments on Facebook from people calling the entire discussion lunacy. "I find this whole discussion a waste of money", one commenter wrote. "Leave it like it was. The problems that some experience through adjusting the clock by an hour twice a year is not in proportion to the suffering of the decision for summer time or winter time. Let us focus on more important issues."

Another commenter wondered whether only pro-winter time people were surveyed. "I only hear pro summer time around me. Why do you want it to be light at 4:00 a.m?" Another: "Leave it... there are more important things that deserve more attention than this issue."