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 Machans Beach were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Machans Beach - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Machans Beach in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Machans Beach, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
391
% of total
41.5%
Change from 2016
+8.9pp
391
41.5%
+8.9pp
Australian
2021 count
288
% of total
30.5%
Change from 2016
+4.1pp
288
30.5%
+4.1pp
Irish
2021 count
137
% of total
14.5%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
137
14.5%
+1.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
123
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
+3.6pp
123
13.0%
+3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
64
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+6.2pp
64
6.8%
+6.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
56
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+5.2pp
56
5.9%
+5.2pp
German
2021 count
55
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
55
5.8%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
25
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
25
2.7%
+1.6pp
Maori
2021 count
15
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
15
1.6%
+0.7pp
Melanesian and Papuan, nfd
2021 count
13
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
13
1.4%
+1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+48
+8.9pp
Australian
+11
+4.1pp
Irish
-3
+1.2pp
Scottish
+24
+3.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+58
+6.2pp
Torres Strait Islander
+49
+5.2pp
German
-4
+0.2pp
Italian
+13
+1.6pp
Maori
+6
+0.7pp
Melanesian and Papuan, nfd
+9
+1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Machans Beach. 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 | 391 | 41.5% | 34.4% | 343 | 32.6% | 35.1% | +48 | +8.9pp |
| Australian | 288 | 30.5% | 30.0% | 277 | 26.4% | 34.6% | +11 | +4.1pp |
| Irish | 137 | 14.5% | 10.5% | 140 | 13.3% | 11.6% | -3 | +1.2pp |
| Scottish | 123 | 13.0% | 9.3% | 99 | 9.4% | 9.4% | +24 | +3.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 64 | 6.8% | 7.1% | 6 | 0.6% | 1.2% | +58 | +6.2pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 56 | 5.9% | 4.3% | 7 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +49 | +5.2pp |
| German | 55 | 5.8% | 5.2% | 59 | 5.6% | 5.4% | -4 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 25 | 2.7% | 5.0% | 12 | 1.1% | 4.8% | +13 | +1.6pp |
| Maori | 15 | 1.6% | 0.7% | 9 | 0.9% | 0.7% | +6 | +0.7pp |
| Melanesian and Papuan, nfd | 13 | 1.4% | 0.1% | 4 | 0.4% | 0.1% | +9 | +1.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).