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 Broken Head (part) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Broken Head (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Broken Head (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Byron (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Broken Head (part), with comparison markers for Byron (A).
English
2021 count
149
% of total
38.7%
Change from 2016
-2.9pp
149
38.7%
-2.9pp
Australian
2021 count
125
% of total
32.5%
Change from 2016
-6.9pp
125
32.5%
-6.9pp
Irish
2021 count
52
% of total
13.5%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
52
13.5%
-0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
42
% of total
10.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
42
10.9%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
27
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
+3.7pp
27
7.0%
+3.7pp
Italian
2021 count
18
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
18
4.7%
+3.6pp
French
2021 count
11
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
11
2.9%
+1.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+35
-2.9pp
Australian
+17
-6.9pp
Irish
+13
-0.7pp
Scottish
+11
-0.4pp
German
+18
+3.7pp
Italian
+15
+3.6pp
French
+6
+1.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Broken Head (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Byron (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Byron (A)% | Count | % | Byron (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 149 | 38.7% | 40.3% | 114 | 41.6% | 39.2% | +35 | -2.9pp |
| Australian | 125 | 32.5% | 30.0% | 108 | 39.4% | 33.9% | +17 | -6.9pp |
| Irish | 52 | 13.5% | 15.3% | 39 | 14.2% | 14.8% | +13 | -0.7pp |
| Scottish | 42 | 10.9% | 12.0% | 31 | 11.3% | 11.2% | +11 | -0.4pp |
| German | 27 | 7.0% | 6.1% | 9 | 3.3% | 5.4% | +18 | +3.7pp |
| Italian | 18 | 4.7% | 4.2% | 3 | 1.1% | 2.8% | +15 | +3.6pp |
| French | 11 | 2.9% | 1.9% | 5 | 1.8% | 1.3% | +6 | +1.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).