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 East Trinity were Australian, English and Australian Aboriginal.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
East Trinity - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for East Trinity in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for East Trinity, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Australian
2021 count
80
% of total
33.6%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
80
33.6%
-4.6pp
English
2021 count
71
% of total
29.8%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
71
29.8%
+2.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
48
% of total
20.2%
Change from 2016
+16.4pp
48
20.2%
+16.4pp
Irish
2021 count
27
% of total
11.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
27
11.3%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
22
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-6.4pp
22
9.2%
-6.4pp
German
2021 count
18
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
18
7.6%
+1.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
11
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
11
4.6%
-0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1
-4.6pp
English
+14
+2.9pp
Australian Aboriginal
+40
+16.4pp
Irish
+2
-0.5pp
Scottish
-11
-6.4pp
German
+5
+1.5pp
Chinese
0
-0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for East Trinity. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 80 | 33.6% | 30.0% | 81 | 38.2% | 34.6% | -1 | -4.6pp |
| English | 71 | 29.8% | 34.4% | 57 | 26.9% | 35.1% | +14 | +2.9pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 48 | 20.2% | 7.1% | 8 | 3.8% | 1.2% | +40 | +16.4pp |
| Irish | 27 | 11.3% | 10.5% | 25 | 11.8% | 11.6% | +2 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 22 | 9.2% | 9.3% | 33 | 15.6% | 9.4% | -11 | -6.4pp |
| German | 18 | 7.6% | 5.2% | 13 | 6.1% | 5.4% | +5 | +1.5pp |
| Chinese | 11 | 4.6% | 2.0% | 11 | 5.2% | 2.1% | 0 | -0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).