Young people on the Croatian islands are aware of the depopulation that has traumatised their island environment. Their ambitions in regard to further life on the islands are genuinely shaken to the point that, when asked about the future of their islands and their personal future in the ten years, they reply that depopulation will continue and that they themselves will leave the island. Education is one of the factors that stimulate this transfer. Through an empirical study, the authors wanted to determine the doubts among young people on three islands of the Zadar archipelago (Ugljan, Dugi Otok and Iž), as well as the relevant aspirations of school pupils on the islands (in regard to employment, education and professions). The study applied both a questionnaire survey and interviews (essays by pupils). This paper analyses the results of the questionnaire survey. The questionnaire itself contained 39 closed questions pertaining to important segments of island life and to the way in which it was perceived by young islanders. It was filled out by 107 secondary school and elementary school pupils from Ugljan, Iž and Dugi Otok. The processed results obtained confirm the assumption that the level schooling increases awareness both in regard to social promotion, which is closely linked to emigration from the islands, and in regard to the self-affirmation of future young generations. The vast majority of respondents expressed the desire to continue their education after elementary and secondary school, respectively. If they would remain on the islands, young islanders do not have many opportunities to choose their employment or business activities. Tourism is far ahead of all other activities. Besides this branch, fishing is to a lesser extent recognized as possible economic resource on the Zadar islands. All the results of the study can be useful to government agencies responsible for island development, with the aim of revitalizing the development of the Croatian islands and stopping the highly negative socio-demographic trends that are occurring on them.