This data brief presents initial findings from a 2026 survey of 561 app-based food delivery workers in New York City, accompanied by a detailed chartpack and a brief methods appendix. This survey is a joint effort between researchers at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Worker’s Justice Project (WJP). We focus on key measures of workers’ health and safety and explore how they may relate to the working conditions created by the digital platforms (“apps”). We pay particular attention to deactivation practices, a rising concern among workers and policymakers.

  • Workers face substantial pressure to meet the demands imposed by the apps.

    Over 80% of respondents report that only or mostly the apps make key work decisions, including delivery speed, route, and working hours. More than half (52%) worry about deactivation, that is, getting blocked by the apps from accessing shifts and earning income, if they do not complete deliveries quickly enough. At the same time, two-thirds rush to maintain high ratings, 56% work during bad weather, and 30% work even when they feel very sick. These intense pressures compromise safety for both workers and residents.

  • For many workers, delivery work is not just a side gig—deactivation is a direct threat to their livelihood.

    Ninety-six percent of respondents report app delivery as their only job in the past month, 98% earn at least half of their total income from delivery, and 53% are their family’s sole source of income.

  • Under these conditions, workers report staggering levels of injury and distress.

    More than half of workers (53%, or 48 per 100 full-time equivalents) reported a work-related injury, more than five times the national rate among delivery messengers. Forty percent have severe psychological distress, compared with just 8% of adult New Yorkers, while 30% lack health insurance.

  • Workers identify deactivation protections as a top priority.

    Fifty-six percent name deactivation protections as the change they most want to see. Seventy percent contacted an app about deactivation in the past month, but only 37% received a satisfactory resolution; workers particularly favor resolution within 24 hours and advance notice of deactivation.

     

    The Delivery Work & Health Study is a collaboration among the following institutions: CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy (CUNY SPH), CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute, Barry Commoner Center for Health & the Environment, Worker’s Justice Project (WJP), CUNY York College, Worker’s Algorithm Observatory (WAO), and Rockefeller Institute of Government (SUNY)

    Acknowledgements: We would like to thank the hard-working delivery workers around the city who participated in this research and made these findings possible. Support for this research was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

    Suggested citation: Michielli, F., Hussein, M., Baron, S., Cohen, N., Figueroa, M., Guallpa, L., Vignola, E., Calacci, D., Ilieva, R., Sanchez, Y., Laskaris, Z., & Sullivan, J. (2026, September). Driven by algorithms: Unsafe work in NYC food delivery [Data brief]. The City University of New York & Worker’s Justice Project.