The article is devoted to the problem of determining the quality of life through the prism of the perception of this category by the students of Saint Petersburg. The purpose of the work is to analyze the peculiarities of young people's vision on the quality of life. At the moment, interest in the topic of determining and measuring the quality of life is growing both in academic and political circles, it is especially important to improve the quality of life of young people, because this social group is the future of any country. However, society is faced with the question of how to interpret the quality of life and through what components to assess it. The article provides a description of the recognized methodological foundations for determining the quality of life and highlights a gap in research devoted directly to the analysis of respondents' points of view regarding the quality of life. With the hel p of a semi-structured interview with representatives of young people in Saint Petersburg, their own understanding of the content of the quality of life category and its assessment are revealed, and the need to compare the theoretical constructions concerning this concept and the real opinions of young people is shown.