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 Lota were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Lota - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Lota in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brisbane (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Lota, with comparison markers for Brisbane (C).
English
2021 count
1,564
% of total
44.5%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
1,564
44.5%
-1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
1,170
% of total
33.3%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,170
33.3%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
540
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
540
15.3%
-0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
480
% of total
13.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
480
13.6%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
212
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
212
6.0%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
95
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
95
2.7%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
92
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+2.2pp
92
2.6%
+2.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
67
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
67
1.9%
-0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
63
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
63
1.8%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
57
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
57
1.6%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+70
-1.4pp
Australian
+91
+0.2pp
Irish
+22
-0.6pp
Scottish
+36
0.0pp
German
+10
-0.2pp
Italian
+20
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+79
+2.2pp
New Zealander
-12
-0.5pp
Dutch
-13
-0.5pp
Chinese
+10
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Lota. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Brisbane (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | % | Brisbane (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,564 | 44.5% | 33.3% | 1,494 | 45.9% | 33.6% | +70 | -1.4pp |
| Australian | 1,170 | 33.3% | 27.9% | 1,079 | 33.1% | 28.1% | +91 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 540 | 15.3% | 12.3% | 518 | 15.9% | 13.4% | +22 | -0.6pp |
| Scottish | 480 | 13.6% | 10.2% | 444 | 13.6% | 10.3% | +36 | 0.0pp |
| German | 212 | 6.0% | 5.2% | 202 | 6.2% | 5.3% | +10 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 95 | 2.7% | 3.4% | 75 | 2.3% | 3.2% | +20 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 92 | 2.6% | 1.7% | 13 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +79 | +2.2pp |
| New Zealander | 67 | 1.9% | 1.2% | 79 | 2.4% | 1.3% | -12 | -0.5pp |
| Dutch | 63 | 1.8% | 1.5% | 76 | 2.3% | 1.4% | -13 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 57 | 1.6% | 7.7% | 47 | 1.4% | 7.2% | +10 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).