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 (M) were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Brighton (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Brighton (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Hobart and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Brighton (M), with comparison markers for Greater Hobart.
Australian
2021 count
8,706
% of total
45.8%
Change from 2016
-3.8pp
8,706
45.8%
-3.8pp
English
2021 count
8,492
% of total
44.7%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
8,492
44.7%
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
1,875
% of total
9.9%
Change from 2016
+9.4pp
1,875
9.9%
+9.4pp
Irish
2021 count
1,475
% of total
7.8%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,475
7.8%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,204
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
1,204
6.3%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
565
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
565
3.0%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
265
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
265
1.4%
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
196
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
196
1.0%
+0.9pp
Polish
2021 count
177
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
177
0.9%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
160
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
160
0.8%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+516
-3.8pp
English
+1,072
-0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+1,796
+9.4pp
Irish
-28
-1.3pp
Scottish
+238
+0.4pp
German
+90
+0.1pp
Italian
+54
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+187
+0.9pp
Polish
+28
0.0pp
Dutch
+16
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Brighton (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Hobart.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Hobart% | Count | % | Greater Hobart% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 8,706 | 45.8% | 37.6% | 8,190 | 49.6% | 40.9% | +516 | -3.8pp |
| English | 8,492 | 44.7% | 42.5% | 7,420 | 44.9% | 44.4% | +1,072 | -0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 1,875 | 9.9% | 4.1% | 79 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +1,796 | +9.4pp |
| Irish | 1,475 | 7.8% | 10.7% | 1,503 | 9.1% | 11.9% | -28 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 1,204 | 6.3% | 9.4% | 966 | 5.9% | 9.5% | +238 | +0.4pp |
| German | 565 | 3.0% | 3.7% | 475 | 2.9% | 3.8% | +90 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 265 | 1.4% | 1.9% | 211 | 1.3% | 1.8% | +54 | +0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 196 | 1.0% | 0.3% | 9 | 0.1% | 0.0% | +187 | +0.9pp |
| Polish | 177 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 149 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +28 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 160 | 0.8% | 2.0% | 144 | 0.9% | 1.9% | +16 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).