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 Tennyson (Qld) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Tennyson (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Tennyson (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Brisbane (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Tennyson (Qld), with comparison markers for Brisbane (C).
English
2021 count
449
% of total
40.5%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
449
40.5%
-0.6pp
Australian
2021 count
317
% of total
28.6%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
317
28.6%
+1.6pp
Irish
2021 count
231
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
231
20.8%
+1.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
163
% of total
14.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
163
14.7%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
97
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
97
8.7%
+0.9pp
Chinese
2021 count
36
% of total
3.2%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
36
3.2%
-1.8pp
Italian
2021 count
25
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
25
2.3%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
24
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
24
2.2%
+0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
20
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
20
1.8%
+0.5pp
Japanese
2021 count
17
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
17
1.5%
+0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+30
-0.6pp
Australian
+42
+1.6pp
Irish
+37
+1.8pp
Scottish
+7
-0.6pp
German
+18
+0.9pp
Chinese
-15
-1.8pp
Italian
+6
+0.4pp
Dutch
+4
+0.2pp
Indian
+7
+0.5pp
Japanese
+8
+0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Tennyson (Qld). 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 | 449 | 40.5% | 33.3% | 419 | 41.1% | 33.6% | +30 | -0.6pp |
| Australian | 317 | 28.6% | 27.9% | 275 | 27.0% | 28.1% | +42 | +1.6pp |
| Irish | 231 | 20.8% | 12.3% | 194 | 19.0% | 13.4% | +37 | +1.8pp |
| Scottish | 163 | 14.7% | 10.2% | 156 | 15.3% | 10.3% | +7 | -0.6pp |
| German | 97 | 8.7% | 5.2% | 79 | 7.8% | 5.3% | +18 | +0.9pp |
| Chinese | 36 | 3.2% | 7.7% | 51 | 5.0% | 7.2% | -15 | -1.8pp |
| Italian | 25 | 2.3% | 3.4% | 19 | 1.9% | 3.2% | +6 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 24 | 2.2% | 1.5% | 20 | 2.0% | 1.4% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Indian | 20 | 1.8% | 3.7% | 13 | 1.3% | 3.5% | +7 | +0.5pp |
| Japanese | 17 | 1.5% | 0.6% | 9 | 0.9% | 0.5% | +8 | +0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).