About four in 10 unmarried South Korean adults think they can lead a life without children, according to a survey released on Monday.

The poll of 1,073 single men and women aged between 20 and 39 by the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education found 42.9 percent believed they would be better with the presence of kids.

Only 14.8 percent said a child is a must for their life.

But the remainder had reservations about child rearing. It showed 36.2 percent said they can do without children, while 6.1 percent said they would be better without kids.

Reflecting such attitudes, 77.4 percent consented to the notion that a happy marriage can be possible without children.

Slightly over half of the respondents -- 536 men and 537 women -- agreed to the view that marriage should result in children and children can be helpful in easing loneliness in later years.

In particular, unmarried people appeared to closely link economic abundance to child rearing, as 62.6 percent said they had better not have kids if they are raised in a tough economic environment.

Contrary to their current notion, however, 75 percent said they're willing to have children after marriage. Another 25 percent said they don't want to have kids for various reasons, including economic burden, personal freedom and social career.

As many as 77.7 percent said economic stability is the most important for child birth and rearing. (Yonhap)