In order to effectively interact in modern society, a person must have the most up-to-date information and a new system of behavior. Market relations generate competition, the struggle for a vital resource and the possibility of self-preservation among others in almost all spheres of life. In the course of a sociological study of student youth, the foundations of business activity, initiative, entrepreneurship, characteristic features of economic behavior and economic consciousness were revealed. One of the most important indicators of the level of human viability in conditions of uncertainty is business activity. People's behavior and social reforms are in constant interaction. The pace of change in modern societies is so fast that people's business activity and their willingness to productively change the world around becomes one of the key factors in the development of society. At previous historical stages, society has always had a more or less clear idea of «what kind of society is this?», «where did it come from?», and «what is its purpose?». The question «who are we?» in the social sense was obvious. Today, the identity of Russians is vague and undefined. It is easy to answer the question who we were. But the answers to the questions «who are we?», and even more so, «who will we be tomorrow?» seem far from so obvious. In modern socio-economic conditions, the assessment of the business qualities of student youth is not only vital for the youth themselves, but also crucial for the formation of state youth policy.