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 Ashburton (S) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Ashburton (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Ashburton (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Ashburton (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
2,413
% of total
16.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
2,413
16.3%
-0.2pp
English
2021 count
2,268
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
2,268
15.3%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
715
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+3.8pp
715
4.8%
+3.8pp
Irish
2021 count
625
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
625
4.2%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
530
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
530
3.6%
-0.9pp
Maori
2021 count
239
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
239
1.6%
+0.1pp
German
2021 count
226
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
226
1.5%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
169
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
169
1.1%
-0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
136
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
136
0.9%
-0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
114
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
114
0.8%
0.0pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,881
-0.2pp
English
-1,795
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+444
+3.8pp
Irish
-606
-0.5pp
Scottish
-634
-0.9pp
Maori
-157
+0.1pp
German
-192
-0.1pp
Italian
-159
-0.2pp
Filipino
-160
-0.2pp
Dutch
-85
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Ashburton (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,413 | 16.3% | 18.2% | 4,294 | 16.5% | 19.9% | -1,881 | -0.2pp |
| English | 2,268 | 15.3% | 20.0% | 4,063 | 15.6% | 19.7% | -1,795 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 715 | 4.8% | 3.9% | 271 | 1.0% | 1.5% | +444 | +3.8pp |
| Irish | 625 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 1,231 | 4.7% | 4.3% | -606 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 530 | 3.6% | 4.5% | 1,164 | 4.5% | 4.4% | -634 | -0.9pp |
| Maori | 239 | 1.6% | 0.6% | 396 | 1.5% | 0.6% | -157 | +0.1pp |
| German | 226 | 1.5% | 1.7% | 418 | 1.6% | 1.7% | -192 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 169 | 1.1% | 1.9% | 328 | 1.3% | 1.8% | -159 | -0.2pp |
| Filipino | 136 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 296 | 1.1% | 0.7% | -160 | -0.2pp |
| Dutch | 114 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 199 | 0.8% | 0.9% | -85 | 0.0pp |
| Total | 14,776 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 25,996 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -11,220 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).