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 Alstonville were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Alstonville - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Alstonville in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Ballina (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Alstonville, with comparison markers for Ballina (A).
English
2021 count
2,793
% of total
23.6%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
2,793
23.6%
-0.7pp
Australian
2021 count
2,372
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
2,372
20.0%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
911
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
911
7.7%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
770
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
770
6.5%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
287
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
287
2.4%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
171
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
171
1.4%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
157
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
157
1.3%
+1.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
103
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
103
0.9%
+0.2pp
Welsh
2021 count
68
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
68
0.6%
+0.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
60
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
60
0.5%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+8
-0.7pp
Australian
+10
-0.6pp
Irish
+20
-0.1pp
Scottish
+73
+0.4pp
German
+28
+0.1pp
Italian
+24
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+144
+1.2pp
Dutch
+21
+0.2pp
Welsh
+22
+0.2pp
New Zealander
+9
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Alstonville. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Ballina (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Ballina (A)% | Count | % | Ballina (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,793 | 23.6% | 22.2% | 2,785 | 24.3% | 21.9% | +8 | -0.7pp |
| Australian | 2,372 | 20.0% | 19.6% | 2,362 | 20.6% | 20.1% | +10 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 911 | 7.7% | 7.2% | 891 | 7.8% | 7.3% | +20 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 770 | 6.5% | 6.3% | 697 | 6.1% | 6.1% | +73 | +0.4pp |
| German | 287 | 2.4% | 2.3% | 259 | 2.3% | 2.2% | +28 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 171 | 1.4% | 1.6% | 147 | 1.3% | 1.4% | +24 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 157 | 1.3% | 1.9% | 13 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +144 | +1.2pp |
| Dutch | 103 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 82 | 0.7% | 0.7% | +21 | +0.2pp |
| Welsh | 68 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 46 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +22 | +0.2pp |
| New Zealander | 60 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 51 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +9 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 11,840 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 11,451 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +389 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).