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 Dunsborough were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Dunsborough - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Dunsborough in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Busselton (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Dunsborough, with comparison markers for Busselton (C).
English
2021 count
3,017
% of total
23.5%
Change from 2016
+14.1pp
3,017
23.5%
+14.1pp
Australian
2021 count
2,502
% of total
19.5%
Change from 2016
+10.4pp
2,502
19.5%
+10.4pp
Irish
2021 count
713
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+4.0pp
713
5.6%
+4.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
692
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+3.3pp
692
5.4%
+3.3pp
German
2021 count
266
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
266
2.1%
+1.0pp
Italian
2021 count
254
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-
254
2.0%
-
Dutch
2021 count
131
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
131
1.0%
-0.3pp
New Zealander
2021 count
112
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
112
0.9%
-
South African
2021 count
97
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
97
0.8%
-
French
2021 count
70
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
70
0.5%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2,982
+14.1pp
Australian
+2,468
+10.4pp
Irish
+707
+4.0pp
Scottish
+684
+3.3pp
German
+262
+1.0pp
Dutch
+126
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
-21
-23.1pp
Swiss
+17
-1.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Dunsborough. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Busselton (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Busselton (C)% | Count | % | Busselton (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,017 | 23.5% | 24.4% | 35 | 9.4% | 24.0% | +2,982 | +14.1pp |
| Australian | 2,502 | 19.5% | 19.7% | 34 | 9.1% | 20.2% | +2,468 | +10.4pp |
| Irish | 713 | 5.6% | 5.4% | 6 | 1.6% | 5.1% | +707 | +4.0pp |
| Scottish | 692 | 5.4% | 5.3% | 8 | 2.1% | 5.1% | +684 | +3.3pp |
| German | 266 | 2.1% | 1.8% | 4 | 1.1% | 1.8% | +262 | +1.0pp |
| Italian | 254 | 2.0% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.8% | - | - |
| Dutch | 131 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 5 | 1.3% | 1.1% | +126 | -0.3pp |
| New Zealander | 112 | 0.9% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| South African | 97 | 0.8% | 0.5% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| French | 70 | 0.5% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 12,837 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 373 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +12,464 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).