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 Blackett were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Blackett - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Blackett in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Blacktown (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Blackett, with comparison markers for Blacktown (C).
Australian
2021 count
892
% of total
24.9%
Change from 2016
-7.9pp
892
24.9%
-7.9pp
English
2021 count
800
% of total
22.3%
Change from 2016
-7.0pp
800
22.3%
-7.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
382
% of total
10.7%
Change from 2016
+9.0pp
382
10.7%
+9.0pp
Samoan
2021 count
295
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
295
8.2%
+1.4pp
Irish
2021 count
181
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-1.9pp
181
5.0%
-1.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
150
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
150
4.2%
-1.4pp
Tongan
2021 count
125
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
125
3.5%
+0.1pp
Filipino
2021 count
125
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
125
3.5%
+1.2pp
German
2021 count
89
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
89
2.5%
-0.5pp
Cook Islander
2021 count
84
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
84
2.3%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-239
-7.9pp
English
-212
-7.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+322
+9.0pp
Samoan
+59
+1.4pp
Irish
-56
-1.9pp
Scottish
-44
-1.4pp
Tongan
+6
+0.1pp
Filipino
+44
+1.2pp
German
-14
-0.5pp
Cook Islander
+16
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Blackett. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Blacktown (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Blacktown (C)% | Count | % | Blacktown (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 892 | 24.9% | 19.1% | 1,131 | 32.8% | 22.8% | -239 | -7.9pp |
| English | 800 | 22.3% | 16.8% | 1,012 | 29.3% | 20.7% | -212 | -7.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 382 | 10.7% | 2.7% | 60 | 1.7% | 0.4% | +322 | +9.0pp |
| Samoan | 295 | 8.2% | 1.8% | 236 | 6.8% | 1.7% | +59 | +1.4pp |
| Irish | 181 | 5.0% | 4.2% | 237 | 6.9% | 5.7% | -56 | -1.9pp |
| Scottish | 150 | 4.2% | 3.5% | 194 | 5.6% | 4.4% | -44 | -1.4pp |
| Tongan | 125 | 3.5% | 1.1% | 119 | 3.4% | 1.0% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Filipino | 125 | 3.5% | 9.0% | 81 | 2.3% | 8.9% | +44 | +1.2pp |
| German | 89 | 2.5% | 1.6% | 103 | 3.0% | 2.1% | -14 | -0.5pp |
| Cook Islander | 84 | 2.3% | 0.4% | 68 | 2.0% | 0.4% | +16 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).