A cross-border survey has found that just over one third of people surveyed in the Republic would like to see a united Ireland in the "short-to-medium term".
The poll also showed that 27% of those surveyed from a Catholic background in Northern Ireland would choose a united Ireland in the short-to-medium term.
When questioned if they would like to see a united Ireland in their lifetime, 66% of respondents in the Republic answered Yes compared to 30% in the North.
The survey was carried out for RTÉ's Prime Time and BBC NI's Nolan Live between 2 and 16 October and involved face-to-face interviews with 1,029 people in the Republic and 1,012 in the North.
The survey also asked respondents if their support for a united Ireland would be affected if it resulted in tax changes.
31% in the Republic said they would be in favour of a united Ireland if it meant paying more tax, less than half the number who had said they would like to see a United Ireland "in their lifetime".
The survey also looked at attitudes to different social issues and found broadly similar attitudes on both sides of the border.
83% of respondents in the Republic said they would be very or fairly comfortable with a member of their family marrying someone with a different skin colour compared to 86% in Northern Ireland.
When asked about abortion, results on both sides of the border were also similar with 22% of respondents in the Republic and 23% in Northern Ireland saying abortion should be available in all circumstances.
64% of those surveyed in the Republic and 56% in Northern Ireland said it should be available in some circumstances and 14% in the Republic and 20% in Northern Ireland said abortion should never be available.
It also seems that people who live on the island as a whole have a positive outlook.
88% of those surveyed in the Republic and 84% in Northern Ireland feel either very or fairly satisfied with their life as a whole.
However, more people in the Republic (77%) said they were satisfied with their love life compared to 66% in Northern Ireland, but almost four times as many people in Northern Ireland answered "Don’t Know".
