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 Skennars Head were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Skennars Head - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Skennars Head in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Ballina (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Skennars Head, with comparison markers for Ballina (A).
English
2021 count
576
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
-2.1pp
576
22.3%
-2.1pp
Australian
2021 count
526
% of total
20.3%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
526
20.3%
+2.9pp
Irish
2021 count
251
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
251
9.7%
+2.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
183
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
183
7.1%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
62
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-
62
2.4%
-
German
2021 count
45
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
45
1.7%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
24
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
24
0.9%
-
French
2021 count
21
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
21
0.8%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
20
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
20
0.8%
-
Welsh
2021 count
12
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
12
0.5%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+513
-2.1pp
Australian
+481
+2.9pp
Irish
+232
+2.3pp
Scottish
+164
-0.3pp
German
+41
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Skennars Head. 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 | 576 | 22.3% | 22.2% | 63 | 24.4% | 21.9% | +513 | -2.1pp |
| Australian | 526 | 20.3% | 19.6% | 45 | 17.4% | 20.1% | +481 | +2.9pp |
| Irish | 251 | 9.7% | 7.2% | 19 | 7.4% | 7.3% | +232 | +2.3pp |
| Scottish | 183 | 7.1% | 6.3% | 19 | 7.4% | 6.1% | +164 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 62 | 2.4% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| German | 45 | 1.7% | 2.3% | 4 | 1.6% | 2.2% | +41 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 24 | 0.9% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| French | 21 | 0.8% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 20 | 0.8% | 1.9% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Welsh | 12 | 0.5% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Total | 2,586 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 258 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,328 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).