Nearly two-thirds of Mainers agree with President Donald Trump (R) that biological men should be barred from participating in women’s sports, according to the newest Pine Tree State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, conducted by the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Survey Center.
While 64 percent of respondents said that biological men “definitely” or “probably” should not participate in women’s sports, only 29 percent said that they “definitely” or “probably” should.
A somewhat higher percentage of Mainers were okay with biological women participating in men’s sports.
About half of respondents indicated that they believe policies concerning the participation of transgender athletes should be set by the federal government, while 41 percent said they feel it should be left up to the states.
Similar results were found by an American Parents Coalition Survey conducted in March that focused on school-level sports. 63 percent of respondents in that survey indicated that participation in school sports ought to be grounded in in a student’s biological sex.
This rises to 69 percent among parents of children under the age of 18. Support for this stance also appeared to stretch beyond partisan boundaries, with approval from 73 percent of self-described moderates 68 percent of independents.
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The UNH Survey Center also asked participants about their approval of President Trump and his job performance so far.
56 percent of Mainers indicated disapproval of Trump, while just 42 percent said they approve of his job in office.
This represents a slight shift from February, when only 52 percent of Mainers disapproved of the president.
Among those who approve of Trump’s job performance, his “handling of immigration” (21 percent) and “keeping campaign promises” (18 percent) were the most frequently cited reasons for their support.
“Reducing spending” and “reforming government or reducing corruption” were tied for third place at 14 percent each.
Over a quarter of those who disapprove of Trump said that the primary reason for this is his “undermining of democracy [and/or the] Constitution.”
This was followed by “illegal acts” and “poor character” at 11 percent each.
