NYU Retracts MTA Worker Assault Study Citing Compromised Data, amNewYork Metro Follows Suit

A recent uproar has emerged regarding a survey by New York University that reported nearly 90% of MTA transit workers faced assault or harassment while on the job, as NYU researchers have advised the study’s retraction due to compromised data integrity. According to

The New York Post

, an unauthorized public posting of the survey on Facebook exposed the study to non-transit workers, resulting in “anomalies” and questionable zip codes among the responses, leading to potential troll participation.

Robyn Gershon, the study’s lead investigator, acknowledged the error in a letter to MTA officials, stating “We learned that a link to our online survey had unfortunately been posted to a public Facebook page on January 2, 2024—an action was not approved as part of our research—and we believe this allowed mischievous respondents into the database,” furthermore, without measures in place to ensure the survey engaged only NYC transit workers, who were the intended recipients via email, the data’s veracity from the point of the Facebook post has since become unverifiable, as detailed by

The New York Post

. The study, originally backed by the Biden administration and designed to deliver insights into workplace violence, is now deemed flawed by NYU and faces retraction requests from its own researchers.

Adding to the corrective chorus,

amNewYork Metro

has also retracted their August 22 report based on the NYU findings, expressing deep apologies to readers for any confusion caused. “We do not take this objective lightly,” editor-in-chief Robert Pozarycki expressed, “Given that NYU has now retracted its study, we must do the same with our report on their study — with full apologies and deep regret to our readers for any confusion or misunderstanding that may have resulted.” This event raises concerns about the legitimacy and execution of academic research that is shared with the public, emphasizing the necessity of data safeguarding in the digital age.

MTA officials, who were skeptical of the NYU study from the outset, stated that their own data contradicted the study’s findings, revealing a figure closer to 11% of workers experiencing assault or harassment. While this is substantially lower than the reported 90%, it still highlights a significant issue facing transit workers. Demetrius Crichlow, now the president of New York City Transit, called for clarity amid the study’s fallout, emphasizing, “The MTA tracks cases closely and each is despicable,” as reported by

The New York Post

. The MTA’s response reflects a commitment to worker safety and underscores the broader challenges of accurately assessing and addressing workplace violence.

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