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 Mount Sheridan (Qld) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mount Sheridan (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mount Sheridan (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mount Sheridan (Qld), with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
2,996
% of total
34.5%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
2,996
34.5%
-0.4pp
Australian
2021 count
2,715
% of total
31.3%
Change from 2016
-5.1pp
2,715
31.3%
-5.1pp
Irish
2021 count
882
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
882
10.2%
-1.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
814
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
814
9.4%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
614
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+5.7pp
614
7.1%
+5.7pp
Italian
2021 count
546
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
546
6.3%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
417
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
417
4.8%
-0.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
399
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+3.7pp
399
4.6%
+3.7pp
Japanese
2021 count
242
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
242
2.8%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
222
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
222
2.6%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+109
-0.4pp
Australian
-292
-5.1pp
Irish
-90
-1.6pp
Scottish
+52
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+502
+5.7pp
Italian
+46
+0.3pp
German
-20
-0.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
+327
+3.7pp
Japanese
+52
+0.5pp
Filipino
+27
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mount Sheridan (Qld). 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 | 2,996 | 34.5% | 34.4% | 2,887 | 34.9% | 35.1% | +109 | -0.4pp |
| Australian | 2,715 | 31.3% | 30.0% | 3,007 | 36.4% | 34.6% | -292 | -5.1pp |
| Irish | 882 | 10.2% | 10.5% | 972 | 11.8% | 11.6% | -90 | -1.6pp |
| Scottish | 814 | 9.4% | 9.3% | 762 | 9.2% | 9.4% | +52 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 614 | 7.1% | 7.1% | 112 | 1.4% | 1.2% | +502 | +5.7pp |
| Italian | 546 | 6.3% | 5.0% | 500 | 6.0% | 4.8% | +46 | +0.3pp |
| German | 417 | 4.8% | 5.2% | 437 | 5.3% | 5.4% | -20 | -0.5pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 399 | 4.6% | 4.3% | 72 | 0.9% | 1.0% | +327 | +3.7pp |
| Japanese | 242 | 2.8% | 1.6% | 190 | 2.3% | 1.6% | +52 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 222 | 2.6% | 1.9% | 195 | 2.4% | 1.6% | +27 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).