New York University (NYU) conducted flawed research on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City and the violence MTA workers face on the job. A spokesperson for NYU stated that the university has requested the Journal of Urban Health retract the study, which was publicly posted on Facebook, allowing bots and others to respond, potentially skewing the results.
The Biden administration funded the study, which concluded that nearly 90% of subway and bus workers reported being assaulted or harassed, according to the New York Post.
However, the president of New York City Transit disputed the study’s findings, citing MTA data that showed 11% of its workforce had been assaulted or harassed. While this figure is still significant, it is much lower than the results of the NYU study, the New York Post reported.
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In a statement, NYU acknowledged that the researchers did not have proper safeguards in place when distributing the survey to New York City transit workers via email.
“The researchers concluded—based on the survey’s vulnerability to responses from bots and/or people other than the intended recipients—that their data were compromised,” the statement read.
Last month, the Transit Workers Union called for safety reforms, stating that more steps are needed to protect workers. The union also reported a rise in worker injuries over the past three years.
