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 Wardell were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wardell - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wardell in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Ballina (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wardell, with comparison markers for Ballina (A).
Australian
2021 count
350
% of total
42.2%
Change from 2016
+4.9pp
350
42.2%
+4.9pp
English
2021 count
344
% of total
41.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
344
41.4%
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
88
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
+9.5pp
88
10.6%
+9.5pp
Irish
2021 count
81
% of total
9.8%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
81
9.8%
-2.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
71
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
71
8.6%
-2.2pp
German
2021 count
30
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
30
3.6%
-0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
25
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
25
3.0%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
16
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
16
1.9%
-0.1pp
Maori
2021 count
10
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
10
1.2%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+40
+4.9pp
English
+4
+0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+79
+9.5pp
Irish
-23
-2.7pp
Scottish
-19
-2.2pp
German
-7
-0.8pp
Italian
0
0.0pp
Dutch
-1
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wardell. 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 | |
| Australian | 350 | 42.2% | 39.3% | 310 | 37.3% | 40.1% | +40 | +4.9pp |
| English | 344 | 41.4% | 44.4% | 340 | 40.9% | 43.9% | +4 | +0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 88 | 10.6% | 3.7% | 9 | 1.1% | 0.6% | +79 | +9.5pp |
| Irish | 81 | 9.8% | 14.4% | 104 | 12.5% | 14.6% | -23 | -2.7pp |
| Scottish | 71 | 8.6% | 12.6% | 90 | 10.8% | 12.1% | -19 | -2.2pp |
| German | 30 | 3.6% | 4.6% | 37 | 4.4% | 4.4% | -7 | -0.8pp |
| Italian | 25 | 3.0% | 3.3% | 25 | 3.0% | 2.9% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 16 | 1.9% | 1.5% | 17 | 2.0% | 1.4% | -1 | -0.1pp |
| Maori | 10 | 1.2% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).