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 Brighton (Tas.) (part) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Brighton (Tas.) (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Brighton (Tas.) (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brighton (M) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Brighton (Tas.) (part), with comparison markers for Brighton (M).
Australian
2021 count
2,406
% of total
48.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
2,406
48.3%
-0.5pp
English
2021 count
2,341
% of total
47.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
2,341
47.0%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
427
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
427
8.6%
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
387
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
+7.2pp
387
7.8%
+7.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
320
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
320
6.4%
-0.9pp
German
2021 count
181
% of total
3.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
181
3.6%
+0.3pp
Polish
2021 count
53
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
53
1.1%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
48
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
48
1.0%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
28
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
28
0.6%
0.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
24
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
24
0.5%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+410
-0.5pp
English
+429
+0.2pp
Irish
+40
-0.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+363
+7.2pp
Scottish
+22
-0.9pp
German
+46
+0.3pp
Polish
-11
-0.5pp
Italian
+15
+0.2pp
Dutch
+4
0.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
+21
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Brighton (Tas.) (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brighton (M).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brighton (M)% | Count | % | Brighton (M)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,406 | 48.3% | 45.8% | 1,996 | 48.8% | 49.6% | +410 | -0.5pp |
| English | 2,341 | 47.0% | 44.7% | 1,912 | 46.8% | 44.9% | +429 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 427 | 8.6% | 7.8% | 387 | 9.5% | 9.1% | +40 | -0.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 387 | 7.8% | 9.9% | 24 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +363 | +7.2pp |
| Scottish | 320 | 6.4% | 6.3% | 298 | 7.3% | 5.9% | +22 | -0.9pp |
| German | 181 | 3.6% | 3.0% | 135 | 3.3% | 2.9% | +46 | +0.3pp |
| Polish | 53 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 64 | 1.6% | 0.9% | -11 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 48 | 1.0% | 1.4% | 33 | 0.8% | 1.3% | +15 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 28 | 0.6% | 0.8% | 24 | 0.6% | 0.9% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 24 | 0.5% | 1.0% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +21 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).