Five minute quiz by Government to boost your mood branded "tone deaf" days before Budget

A FIVE minute quiz by the Government that apparently boosts your mood has been branded "tone deaf" days before the Budget.

At the start of a week that could see the entire nation's mood turn sour, the Government has launched a free five-minute health quiz revealing personalised steps to “boost your mood and energy”. 

It asks the usual questions like how much vino and voddy do you slosh back of an evening, do you eat processed rubbish or wholesome organic nosh that costs an arm and a leg, do you exercise much, chainsmoke, as well as asking questions about your general anxiety levels – sadly they didn't have a “you are scared of your own shadow option”.

Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: "Taking this quick and easy quiz could be the first step for people to live healthier and happier lives. We’re doing our part to cut smoking, obesity and provide better mental health support - this quiz gives people the chance to help themselves by taking advantage of expert NHS advice at the touch of a screen.

"This simple, free and easily available quiz will bring expert NHS advice to your fingertips as part of our 10 Year Health Plan to move from treating sickness to preventing it."

Brits slammed the quiz as "tone deaf" just two days before the Budget on Wednesday.

Sarah Gatford, Director at Sarah Gatford Ltd, said "I scored 9/10. Sounds brilliant. Except my score tells you precisely nothing about my actual well-being. There's no nuance here. No consideration of context, circumstances or the messy reality of people's lives. 

"The mental health section particularly grates. They're happy to reduce it to a number. If you're genuinely struggling - anxious about money, caring responsibilities, job insecurity - a five-minute quiz and generic NHS links won't cut through. The timing feels particularly tone deaf. 

"Launching a ‘sort yourself out’ quiz whilst the country braces for difficult announcements suggests individual lifestyle tweaks can solve problems that are often systemic. 

"Real well-being support acknowledges that people are experts in their own lives. This quiz is the equivalent of someone shouting ‘just eat better and move more’ across a crowded room and hoping it lands with whoever needs to hear it."

Beccy Dickson, Co-Founder at Branded Biophilia, said the timing is “cruel”.

She continued: "A five-minute quiz isn’t going to lift the nation’s mood, it’ll just tell people what they already know. The country is exhausted. The timing almost feels cruel. I opened it and closed it again immediately, fearing the same misery and anxiety I feel most days looking at ‘government advice’. 

“People need to put down their phones for their mental health, not answer more mind-numbing questions that simply confirm they’re burnt out. People don’t need digital diagnostics. They need recovery, not mind rot. Real wellbeing doesn’t come from screens, it comes from sensory calm and real environments that allow the nervous system to reset.”

Sam Kirk, Managing Director at Retford-based J-Flex Rubber Products, said the cause of the stress is the government itself.

He added: "Nothing lifts the nation's mood quite like a quiz from the people who caused half the stress in the first place. 

“If they actually delivered the things they’ve been promising for years, we probably wouldn’t need a morale-boosting quiz in the first place. As for the quiz itself, the Government promises it shouldn't take you long. It took me 6-7 minutes.”

However, Colette Mason, Author & AI Consultant at London-based Clever Clogs AI, praised the Department for Health for the scheme.

She added: "As a minimum viable product, it's welcome. I've been waiting years for the NHS to take a more proactive, holistic approach, as have many of my forward-thinking clinician friends. Rather than asking Dr Google or falling prey to MLM diet clubs, TikTok influencers or ChatGPT prompts, if this new function is developed, people can turn to the NHS for clear, customised evidence-based advice, rather than a sea of dry FAQs. 

"Mental health care is buckling under the strain. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50. My local authority is providing online mental health courses, Zooms and live sessions, a lifeline for people on the breadline. This approach to healthier choices and better self-management skills, however simplistic now, has to be welcomed. Let's stop fixing broken people. 

"Help them sooner. Well done NHS. Build more features. Don't bury it in red tape and consultancy fees. Keep it simple, accessible and working hard to help the nation."

While welcoming the initiative to a degree, Patricia McGirr, Founder at Burnley-based Repossession Rescue Network, also questioned the timing: "A five-minute quiz won’t fix a nation bracing for a grim week. It feels like a morale booster from a government that knows tempers are fraying. When people are worried about jobs, bills and whether their mortgage will survive the next Budget, being told to log on and rate your feelings is hardly reassuring.

"Signposting is always welcome, especially for men who remain at highest risk of suicide, but the reality is stark. Access to interventions like CBT is buckling under demand and counselling cannot magic away the misery of living in penury.

"Mental health doesn’t decline in isolation. It declines when life becomes unbearable with no relief in sight. Households don’t need a quiz to tell them they’re exhausted. They need stability, fair policy and systems that step in before people hit crisis point.

“My score for this new innovation? One out of ten. More for the poor timing than the intention behind it.”