AUGUSTA — A new survey of Maine residents shows 64% believe transgender female athletes should not be allowed to compete in women’s sports, according to the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

The results come as the Trump administration continues to express concern that Maine is not complying with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, or an executive order signed by the president that prohibits transgender female athletes from participating in women’s sports.

President Donald Trump told Gov. Janet Mills last month that he will withhold federal funds if the state fails to comply. The administration has also launched several investigations into various state entities, including the Maine Department of Education and Maine Principals’ Association.

The survey, conducted March 20-24, has a 3% margin of error and is based on surveys completed by 1,057 Mainers.

Digging into the numbers, 29% of respondents said transgender female athletes should be allowed to participate and 7% were unsure.

By party, 56% of Democrats believe they should be allowed to participate, followed by 14% of independents and just 1% of Republicans.

At the State House, Republicans are sponsoring several bills to prohibit transgender girls from female sports teams and places like locker rooms and bathrooms. Those bills will come up for public hearings in the next few weeks.

Gov. Janet Mills, who publicly sparred with Trump over the state’s policy toward transgender athlete participation, has said she believes the issue is worthy of a full public debate.

And she was adamant earlier this week that the dispute with the Trump administration is over presidential power, not transgender sports participation.

In other survey results, 56% of Mainers disapprove of Trump’s handling of his job as president, while 42% approve. His overall approval rating is down an additional 8% from February, according to the survey.

When you break it down by party, 94% of Republicans approve of his performance, followed by 44% of independents and just 1% of Democrats.

On the economic front, 64% of Mainers believe a recession is likely in the next year, 7% say the U.S. is already in a recession and 24% say it is unlikely, the survey showed.

The data comes from the Pine Tree State Poll, a States of Opinion Project conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.