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 Cairnlea were Vietnamese, Chinese and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cairnlea - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cairnlea in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brimbank (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cairnlea, with comparison markers for Brimbank (C).
Vietnamese
2021 count
3,009
% of total
15.0%
Change from 2016
-
3,009
15.0%
-
Chinese
2021 count
1,244
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-
1,244
6.2%
-
Australian
2021 count
929
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-19.0pp
929
4.6%
-19.0pp
Filipino
2021 count
696
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-
696
3.5%
-
English
2021 count
644
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-12.9pp
644
3.2%
-12.9pp
Maltese
2021 count
423
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-
423
2.1%
-
Italian
2021 count
341
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
341
1.7%
-1.2pp
Macedonian
2021 count
324
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
324
1.6%
+0.5pp
Indian
2021 count
319
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
319
1.6%
-
Greek
2021 count
208
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
208
1.0%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+841
-19.0pp
English
+584
-12.9pp
Italian
+330
-1.2pp
Macedonian
+320
+0.5pp
Scottish
+87
-6.1pp
Irish
+82
-4.6pp
German
+70
-2.5pp
Polish
+72
-0.4pp
Dutch
-10
-5.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cairnlea. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brimbank (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brimbank (C)% | Count | % | Brimbank (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Vietnamese | 3,009 | 15.0% | 8.4% | - | - | 8.0% | - | - |
| Chinese | 1,244 | 6.2% | 3.4% | - | - | 3.2% | - | - |
| Australian | 929 | 4.6% | 6.3% | 88 | 23.6% | 6.2% | +841 | -19.0pp |
| Filipino | 696 | 3.5% | 2.0% | - | - | 2.0% | - | - |
| English | 644 | 3.2% | 5.8% | 60 | 16.1% | 5.9% | +584 | -12.9pp |
| Maltese | 423 | 2.1% | 2.6% | - | - | 2.8% | - | - |
| Italian | 341 | 1.7% | 3.1% | 11 | 2.9% | 3.3% | +330 | -1.2pp |
| Macedonian | 324 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 4 | 1.1% | 1.5% | +320 | +0.5pp |
| Indian | 319 | 1.6% | 1.9% | - | - | 2.5% | - | - |
| Greek | 208 | 1.0% | 1.7% | - | - | 1.8% | - | - |
| Total | 20,057 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 373 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +19,684 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).