Cultural diversity
Ancestry
About this topic
Ancestry describes a person's cultural association and ethnic background, and Census respondents can report more than one ancestry. It is a broader cultural measure than country of birth because it can reflect family heritage across generations.
This topic helps show the size and diversity of cultural groups in an area, including groups whose members were born in Australia. Because multiple ancestries can be reported, ancestry totals can exceed the total population, so it is best read with birthplace, language used at home, and religion.
Interpretation notes
- People can report up to two ancestries, so category totals represent responses rather than a single unduplicated person count.
- ABS advises that ancestry is best used with birthplace and language, because ancestry alone is a broad measure of ethnicity and cultural background.
- The 2021 form added separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mark boxes, so those categories need caution in over-time comparison.
Key insight
In 2021, the largest ancestry groups among residents in Alpine (S) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Alpine (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Alpine (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Vic. and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Alpine (S), with comparison markers for Regional Vic..
English
2021 count
5,316
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
5,316
20.1%
0.0pp
Australian
2021 count
4,938
% of total
18.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
4,938
18.7%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
1,645
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,645
6.2%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,543
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,543
5.8%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
1,259
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
1,259
4.8%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
720
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
720
2.7%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
336
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
336
1.3%
+0.3pp
Chinese
2021 count
129
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
129
0.5%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
117
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
117
0.4%
-
Filipino
2021 count
114
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
114
0.4%
+0.2pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+377
0.0pp
Australian
+367
+0.1pp
Irish
+208
+0.4pp
Scottish
+212
+0.4pp
Italian
+68
0.0pp
German
+98
+0.2pp
Dutch
+92
+0.3pp
Chinese
+47
+0.2pp
Filipino
+59
+0.2pp
New Zealander
+22
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Alpine (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Vic..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | % | Regional Vic.% | Count | pp | |
| English | 5,316 | 20.1% | 20.3% | 4,939 | 20.1% | 20.0% | +377 | 0.0pp |
| Australian | 4,938 | 18.7% | 19.6% | 4,571 | 18.6% | 20.0% | +367 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 1,645 | 6.2% | 6.4% | 1,437 | 5.8% | 6.5% | +208 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 1,543 | 5.8% | 5.8% | 1,331 | 5.4% | 5.7% | +212 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 1,259 | 4.8% | 1.9% | 1,191 | 4.8% | 1.8% | +68 | 0.0pp |
| German | 720 | 2.7% | 2.3% | 622 | 2.5% | 2.3% | +98 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 336 | 1.3% | 1.1% | 244 | 1.0% | 1.1% | +92 | +0.3pp |
| Chinese | 129 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 82 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +47 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 117 | 0.4% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Filipino | 114 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 55 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +59 | +0.2pp |
| Total | 26,452 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 24,633 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,819 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).