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 Wattle Flat (NSW) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Wattle Flat (NSW) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Wattle Flat (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Bathurst Regional (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Wattle Flat (NSW), with comparison markers for Bathurst Regional (A).
Australian
2021 count
124
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
+3.8pp
124
22.3%
+3.8pp
English
2021 count
109
% of total
19.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
109
19.6%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
29
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
29
5.2%
+1.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
28
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+4.4pp
28
5.0%
+4.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
20
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
20
3.6%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
12
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
12
2.2%
+0.9pp
German
2021 count
11
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
11
2.0%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-110
+3.8pp
English
-135
+0.3pp
Irish
-19
+1.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+21
+4.4pp
Scottish
-19
+0.5pp
Dutch
-5
+0.9pp
German
-6
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Wattle Flat (NSW). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Bathurst Regional (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | % | Bathurst Regional (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 124 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 234 | 18.5% | 21.6% | -110 | +3.8pp |
| English | 109 | 19.6% | 20.5% | 244 | 19.3% | 20.3% | -135 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 29 | 5.2% | 7.2% | 48 | 3.8% | 7.6% | -19 | +1.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 28 | 5.0% | 3.2% | 7 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +21 | +4.4pp |
| Scottish | 20 | 3.6% | 5.3% | 39 | 3.1% | 5.2% | -19 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 12 | 2.2% | 0.7% | 17 | 1.3% | 0.7% | -5 | +0.9pp |
| German | 11 | 2.0% | 1.7% | 17 | 1.3% | 1.8% | -6 | +0.7pp |
| Total | 555 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,266 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -711 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).