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 Bass Coast (S) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bass Coast (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bass Coast (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Vic. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bass Coast (S), with comparison markers for Regional Vic..
English
2021 count
17,689
% of total
43.4%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
17,689
43.4%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
15,562
% of total
38.2%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
15,562
38.2%
-1.7pp
Irish
2021 count
5,139
% of total
12.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
5,139
12.6%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
5,062
% of total
12.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
5,062
12.4%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
2,011
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
2,011
4.9%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
1,566
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,566
3.8%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
1,254
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,254
3.1%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
452
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
452
1.1%
+1.0pp
Greek
2021 count
342
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
342
0.8%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
326
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
326
0.8%
0.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,757
+0.9pp
Australian
+2,482
-1.7pp
Irish
+1,186
+0.5pp
Scottish
+1,072
+0.2pp
Italian
+496
+0.3pp
German
+417
+0.3pp
Dutch
+366
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+422
+1.0pp
Greek
+108
+0.1pp
Chinese
+76
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bass Coast (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 | 17,689 | 43.4% | 40.6% | 13,932 | 42.5% | 40.1% | +3,757 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 15,562 | 38.2% | 39.2% | 13,080 | 39.9% | 40.0% | +2,482 | -1.7pp |
| Irish | 5,139 | 12.6% | 12.9% | 3,953 | 12.1% | 13.0% | +1,186 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 5,062 | 12.4% | 11.7% | 3,990 | 12.2% | 11.3% | +1,072 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 2,011 | 4.9% | 3.9% | 1,515 | 4.6% | 3.7% | +496 | +0.3pp |
| German | 1,566 | 3.8% | 4.6% | 1,149 | 3.5% | 4.6% | +417 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 1,254 | 3.1% | 2.3% | 888 | 2.7% | 2.2% | +366 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 452 | 1.1% | 1.9% | 30 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +422 | +1.0pp |
| Greek | 342 | 0.8% | 0.6% | 234 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +108 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 326 | 0.8% | 1.1% | 250 | 0.8% | 1.0% | +76 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).