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 Stafford Heights were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Stafford Heights - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Stafford Heights in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brisbane (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Stafford Heights, with comparison markers for Brisbane (C).
English
2021 count
2,756
% of total
39.4%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
2,756
39.4%
+1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
2,478
% of total
35.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
2,478
35.4%
+0.5pp
Irish
2021 count
1,079
% of total
15.4%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
1,079
15.4%
-0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
811
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
811
11.6%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
498
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
498
7.1%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
393
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
393
5.6%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
172
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
172
2.5%
+2.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
170
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
170
2.4%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
124
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
124
1.8%
+0.7pp
Dutch
2021 count
123
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
123
1.8%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+153
+1.3pp
Australian
+90
+0.5pp
Irish
-23
-0.7pp
Scottish
+19
0.0pp
Italian
+34
+0.3pp
German
+25
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+137
+2.0pp
Chinese
+18
+0.2pp
Indian
+50
+0.7pp
Dutch
+6
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Stafford Heights. 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 | 2,756 | 39.4% | 33.3% | 2,603 | 38.1% | 33.6% | +153 | +1.3pp |
| Australian | 2,478 | 35.4% | 27.9% | 2,388 | 34.9% | 28.1% | +90 | +0.5pp |
| Irish | 1,079 | 15.4% | 12.3% | 1,102 | 16.1% | 13.4% | -23 | -0.7pp |
| Scottish | 811 | 11.6% | 10.2% | 792 | 11.6% | 10.3% | +19 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 498 | 7.1% | 3.4% | 464 | 6.8% | 3.2% | +34 | +0.3pp |
| German | 393 | 5.6% | 5.2% | 368 | 5.4% | 5.3% | +25 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 172 | 2.5% | 1.7% | 35 | 0.5% | 0.2% | +137 | +2.0pp |
| Chinese | 170 | 2.4% | 7.7% | 152 | 2.2% | 7.2% | +18 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 124 | 1.8% | 3.7% | 74 | 1.1% | 3.5% | +50 | +0.7pp |
| Dutch | 123 | 1.8% | 1.5% | 117 | 1.7% | 1.4% | +6 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).