More than half of Moroccans said they don’t know there is a petition calling for the country to scrap GMT+1, according to a new survey conducted just before the government decided to return to GMT.
The poll found that 54% of respondents were unaware of the campaign, with women, people aged 55 and older, rural residents and lower-income groups the least likely to know about it. Only 4% said they had already signed the paper petition.
Knowledge of the petition varied sharply across demographic groups. About 39% knew an online petition existed, with awareness highest among men, people aged 25 to 44, urban residents and higher-income groups.
Another 21% knew about a paper version of the petition, particularly those aged 25 to 54 and wealthier respondents.
The survey, carried out by Sunergia for L’Économiste, explored how Moroccans feel about the country’s time system, whether GMT+1 affects their daily lives and how much support exists for changing the clock.
While awareness of the petition remains limited, support for returning to standard time appears strong. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 64%, said Morocco should adopt GMT all year round instead of GMT+1. That view was especially common among people aged 25 to 34, residents of the northern and eastern regions, and middle-income households.
Only 5% backed keeping GMT+1 throughout the year, while 4% wanted the current system to remain unchanged. Another 10% preferred switching the clocks seasonally, and 16% said they had no opinion.
The survey found that GMT+1 continues to be unpopular in everyday life. Two-thirds of respondents, 66%, said the time system has a negative impact on their daily routine.
Complaints were most common among adults aged 25 to 34, city residents and middle-income households. Only 6% said GMT+1 had a positive effect, with younger adults aged 18 to 24 the most likely to say so.
24% reported that it made no difference to their daily lives, a view more common among older respondents, rural residents and lower-income groups.
Sleep is the biggest source of frustration for those who dislike GMT+1. Among respondents reporting a negative impact, 71% said the time system mainly disrupts their sleep.
Work was the second most-cited issue at 40%, followed by fatigue at 33%. Smaller shares also mentioned family organization, commuting, mood and productivity.
For the small group who viewed GMT+1 positively, work was the main benefit, cited by 61%, while 39% said it improved their sleep.
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