Perceived platform surveillance, mental health and road risk among couriers and food delivery workers: Evidence from Wuhan, China

OBJECTIVES: While platform surveillance of work processes is common in the gig economy, the subjective perception of surveillance varies among workers with different characteristics. This study uses the survey data of couriers and food delivery workers to explore the impact of perceived platform surveillance on road risks (risky riding and traffic crashes), and examines the mediating effect of mental health in this relationship, attempting to establish an explanatory framework among these factors. METHODS: The survey was conducted using a respondent-driven sampling method and included 801 couriers and food delivery workers in Wuhan, China. Propensity score matching was used to construct comparable perceived and unperceived groups prior to subsequent logit regression analysis. Causal mediation analysis was employed to examine the mediating effect of mental health in the relationship of perceived platform surveillance and road risk. RESULTS: The findings revealed that couriers and food delivery workers with higher socioeconomic status and greater work experience were more likely to perceive platform surveillance, which led them to higher odds of risky riding and traffic crashes. Mental health, as a mediator of the negative impact of perceived platform surveillance on road risk, contributed 14.2% of the total effect on risky riding and 17.2% of the total effect on traffic crashes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The study underscored the heterogeneity in the perception of platform surveillance among couriers and food delivery workers, which contributed to disparities in mental health and road risk consequences. Policy implications included enhancing the ethical accountability of platform algorithms, improving riders' safety awareness, and establishing a collaborative, multi-stakeholder road safety system.