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 Edge Hill were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Edge Hill - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Edge Hill in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Edge Hill, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
1,578
% of total
19.5%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
1,578
19.5%
-4.3pp
Australian
2021 count
1,206
% of total
14.9%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
1,206
14.9%
+1.8pp
Irish
2021 count
609
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
609
7.5%
-1.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
488
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
488
6.0%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
276
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-
276
3.4%
-
Italian
2021 count
171
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
171
2.1%
-1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
164
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-
164
2.0%
-
Japanese
2021 count
118
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
118
1.5%
-
Chinese
2021 count
107
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
107
1.3%
-
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
102
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-
102
1.3%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,547
-4.3pp
Australian
+1,189
+1.8pp
Irish
+597
-1.7pp
Scottish
+482
+1.4pp
Italian
+167
-1.0pp
Danish
+27
-1.9pp
Data table
Ancestry for Edge Hill. 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 | |
| English | 1,578 | 19.5% | 17.2% | 31 | 23.8% | 17.5% | +1,547 | -4.3pp |
| Australian | 1,206 | 14.9% | 15.0% | 17 | 13.1% | 17.3% | +1,189 | +1.8pp |
| Irish | 609 | 7.5% | 5.2% | 12 | 9.2% | 5.8% | +597 | -1.7pp |
| Scottish | 488 | 6.0% | 4.7% | 6 | 4.6% | 4.7% | +482 | +1.4pp |
| German | 276 | 3.4% | 2.6% | - | - | 2.7% | - | - |
| Italian | 171 | 2.1% | 2.5% | 4 | 3.1% | 2.4% | +167 | -1.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 164 | 2.0% | 3.5% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Japanese | 118 | 1.5% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Chinese | 107 | 1.3% | 1.0% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| Torres Strait Islander | 102 | 1.3% | 2.2% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 8,097 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 130 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +7,967 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).