Abstract: the article discusses the study of the morality of entrepreneurs undertaken in modern science. Most studies indicate two opposing images of an entrepreneur that exist in the public consciousness. These images are polar in nature: on the one hand, the entrepreneur is in the mind of the average person an active transformer of the environment and reality, on the other – a crook and dishonest citizen who violates the laws of the country for his own benefit. A number of scientists, including the author, attempted a comprehensive study of the reasons for such discrepancies in the image of the entrepreneur’s image and concluded that the law of affiliation forms an image of a person and stereotypes of already established opinion are transferred to new faces among familiar entrepreneurs. Also, the social and age status of the respondent itself is of great importance. The older a person is, the harder it is for him to rearrange the system of his judgments. And at the same time, the presence of a high level of material well-being removes and weakens the border of distrust and fear of being ruined or robbed. Also, the national factor should come into the attention of the researcher. The study was conducted on the material of the Dagestan mentality (everyday consciousness) and further comparison with the data on the residents of Armenia and the Vologda region of Russia showed a significant discrepancy in the amount and degree of trust, sympathy and positive attitude towards the entrepreneur. The authors also come to the conclusion that the affiliation of the moral qualities of entrepreneurs in the mentality of Dagestanis differs significantly from the first idea of an entrepreneur in the minds of residents of a number of areas of central Russia that can be explained by the historical need to migrate in search of earnings and the work of representatives of the people living in the mountainous parts of Dagestan. There is little land for cultivation, the lack of a permanent market for the products of craftsmen, jewelers, tinsmiths, bricklayers, carpet makers, potters, etc. makes a person look for work in other regions. The image of an entrepreneur as a breadwinner and family breadwinner is also attractive for a Dagestanian because of his valuable and responsible attitude to the family and generation.
Keywords: morality, consciousness, social consciousness, entrepreneur, business and moral qualities, values, moral principles, moral requirements, affiliation, perception, sterotype