In this article the authors analyse the life of islanders on three islands of Zadar: Iz, Ugljan and Dugi otok. The life on these islands has mainly the characteristics of people's existence in periphery areas. This refers specially to Iz and Dugi otok, while the life of islanders on Ugljan is more dynamic and less burdened by periphery syndrome. Difflculties of living on the island, problem of connections with the land, isolation, aging of island population and other unfavourable factors have influence on island depopulation and leaving of young people to non-island destinations. In many island environments leaving of slanders has got proportions of a real island exodus and the consequences of these processes in the long run lead toward the extinction of the island micro social system. The empirical study on three islands of Zadar was carried out in October' 2001. It comprised young islanders, pupils of elementary and secondary schools as well as older islanders, at the age of 60 and more. All together, 107 pupils and 151 respondents of older age were surveyed on three islands. The data were processed on a personal computer and statistical significance of differences was tested by X2-test. In the analysis of questionnaire survey the following independent variables were used: island, age, marital status, single or multi-member household, education, occupation and children on the island or in emigration. The obtained research results in regard to young islanders show that young people recognize main advantages of island life mostly as ecological ones. This can be a generator of island development on new foundations in the next period. Thereby the accent could be put on post-modern values such as preserved nature, peace, silence, quality of life and the like. Leaving of young population is revealed as the main disadvantage that generates depressive and hard socio-psychological atmosphere in island environments. The most difficult problems of older islanders are loneliness, tom (broken) networks of primary social relations (in the first place family ones) and fear of social isolation. Therefore the question arises: how to revitalise island local communities and stop island depopulation. The role of the state in this possible/desirable process is unavoidable and by all means the most significant. Island local communities alone, as well as the counties to which they belong, do not have sufficient resources to revive island life and make it more dynamic.