Eight out of ten South Koreans think economic issues are more important than unification with North Korea, according to a new government survey.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs released on Friday the results of their survey of three-thousand-873 South Korean adults, which indicates that 77-point-one percent of respondents would choose the economy over unification if only one of the two problems could be solved.

In the survey, 55-point-nine percent agreed with the proposition that South Korea and North Korea don't necessarily have to form a unified country.

A full 53-point-two percent answered negatively when asked if they were willing to partially give up their quality of life for unification with North Korea.

Meanwhile, 42-point-three percent of respondents were positive about social changes that improve inter-Korean ties, while 49-point-nine percent said they were neutral and seven-point-seven percent were negative.

The survey was conducted last year from June to September, and included one-thousand-967 men and one-thousand-906 women between the ages of 19 and 75.

[Photo : YONHAP News]