Is the American Dream still alive? We're diving into your answers

Dream on... This month marks the 90th anniversary of the American Dream — or at least, when the term was first coined. Historian James Truslow Adams described it as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Ninety years later, thousands of Snackers told us whether they think the American Dream is still alive.

• The TLDR: It was 50-50. Most of you think the American Dream is alive, but some think it's dying — and some think it's dead, but could return.
• The core of the Dream: 26% said financial freedom, 17% said equal opportunity, and 40% said a combo of those plus material ownership and racial equity.
• Key to achieving the Dream: 40% said hard work, and 43% said a combo of hard work, luck, and privilege.

Lay down the stats... Generations of Americans have climbed the economic ladder for decades, but there are signs that economic mobility is waning. The fraction of Americans who earn more than their parents has shrunk from 90% of those born in the 1940s to 50% of those born in the 1980s. Income inequality in the US has been rising for decades, and is wider between Black and white Americans.

In your words... We asked what the American Dream means to you today:

• “The ability to move above the station you were born in life through hard work and perseverance.”
• "To fail and have continuous opportunity to get back on our feet regardless of discrimination."
• “Filling up my gas tank without checking my bank balance first.”
• "Exists because people are still willing to do anything to get to America."