Socioeconomic Status Demographics Educational Attainment Commute  to Work Conclusions Appendix Sources

Commute to Work

 

Because of Essex County’s proximity to New York City, an epicenter of the AIDS

crisis, it is acceptable to consider that association with the city could have a

significant impact on the area’s HIV/AIDS incidence. However, Essex County is

home to Newark, a commuting city in its own right, which lies just west of New

York City, and is a major draw for workers in the region.  Because a large number

of workers commute into both cities daily for employment, it is reasonable to

hypothesize that they are also likely to find some recreation there. Whether

through a night on the town in NYC beginning with a few drinks after work or

white-collar illicit drug use in either city, the possibility of HIV contraction in the

cities does exist for Essex County’s more suburban residents. The county and

New York City region are well connected by New Jersey Transit system

(NJTransit) bus and rail lines, which run hubs out of Newark and NYC. Readily

accessible and affordable public transportation makes it simple for Essex

County residents to bridge the gap between suburban New Jersey and the NYC

and Newark urban environments. From various points in the county, it takes

approximately 35 to 45 minutes to get into New York and 25 to 30 to get to

Newark. In order to measure the likelihood of these commuters being associated

with the AIDS trends, the correlation coefficients were calculated relating AIDS

rate to census data for the percentage of working-age citizens who commute 30-

34 minutes and 35-39 minutes to work.

The correlation coefficient for a 30-34 minute commute was 0.622, a significant positive correlation (Table 18). This statistic is logical because those who spend less time commuting are from the eastern towns of the county, which are those afflicted with an AIDS problem (Figure 15). 

 Interestingly, the correlation coefficient for a 35-39 minute commute is very drastically different, -0.769, from just a slightly shorter commute (Table 19). When considered, this number supports the “line” that separates poor East Essex from affluent West Essex. The West Essex commuting coefficient is strongly negative, implying that the longer commute corresponds with a decrease in the likelihood of a high AIDS rate (Figure 16).

Figure 15.

Figure 16.

 

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