This has been one of the coldest, snowiest winters in New Jersey in decades. So is this the start of a trend, or merely a fluke, and why is this happening? It depends who you ask.

(Win McNamee, Getty Images)
(Win McNamee, Getty Images)
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"Here in the Garden State, over half believe the earth's temperature is rising and that human activity is largely to blame for climate change," said Krista Jenkins, director of the FDU PublicMind poll.

She said when respondents were asked if solid evidence has established rising temperatures on earth, or whether evidence remains lacking, "56 percent said that evidence is there, with 35 percent who say it's not."

But how you feel about this issue may depend on which political party you support.

"Seventy percent of Democrats believe solid evidence exists for the earth's warming," Jenkins said, "while a majority of Republicans say the opposite, and 64 percent of Democrats also see human activity as the culprit, with 60 percent of Republicans who believe natural weather patterns are to blame."

The survey also finds we're ranking the winter of 2014 as one of the worst in recent memory.

"When measuring this winter on a scale from 0 to 10, with zero meaning mild and 10 meaning harsh, New Jersey residents say this winter scores an 8.5. Most also believe extreme weather is likely to happen more often," Jenkins said. "Seventy-three percent say harsh winters like this one will happen with greater frequency; only 20 percent say more is unlikely in the future."

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