American Dream is still alive, but unrecognized

A new study shows that a majority of Americans are living the American Dream—even if they largely don't realize it.

The poll, conducted by marketing firm DDB as part of its 2014 Life Style Study, found that only 40 percent of American adults over the age of 18 believed they were "living the American Dream."

That same 7,015-person study also found that sizable majorities reported owning a home, receiving a "good education," finding a "decent job" and giving their children better lives than they themselves had—all traditional tenets of the American Dream. Although these findings may not seem intuitive, the answer behind this discrepancy could lie in an important trend in American financial security.