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 Palm Cove were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Palm Cove - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Palm Cove in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Palm Cove, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
1,102
% of total
45.0%
Change from 2016
+4.5pp
1,102
45.0%
+4.5pp
Australian
2021 count
594
% of total
24.2%
Change from 2016
-5.0pp
594
24.2%
-5.0pp
Irish
2021 count
322
% of total
13.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
322
13.1%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
280
% of total
11.4%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
280
11.4%
-1.0pp
German
2021 count
157
% of total
6.4%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
157
6.4%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
97
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
97
4.0%
-0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
47
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
47
1.9%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
41
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
41
1.7%
+1.4pp
Welsh
2021 count
41
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
41
1.7%
0.0pp
French
2021 count
40
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
40
1.6%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+269
+4.5pp
Australian
-7
-5.0pp
Irish
+55
+0.1pp
Scottish
+25
-1.0pp
German
+21
-0.2pp
Italian
+7
-0.4pp
Dutch
+14
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+35
+1.4pp
Welsh
+6
0.0pp
French
+18
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Palm Cove. 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 | 1,102 | 45.0% | 34.4% | 833 | 40.5% | 35.1% | +269 | +4.5pp |
| Australian | 594 | 24.2% | 30.0% | 601 | 29.2% | 34.6% | -7 | -5.0pp |
| Irish | 322 | 13.1% | 10.5% | 267 | 13.0% | 11.6% | +55 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 280 | 11.4% | 9.3% | 255 | 12.4% | 9.4% | +25 | -1.0pp |
| German | 157 | 6.4% | 5.2% | 136 | 6.6% | 5.4% | +21 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 97 | 4.0% | 5.0% | 90 | 4.4% | 4.8% | +7 | -0.4pp |
| Dutch | 47 | 1.9% | 1.6% | 33 | 1.6% | 1.6% | +14 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 41 | 1.7% | 7.1% | 6 | 0.3% | 1.2% | +35 | +1.4pp |
| Welsh | 41 | 1.7% | 0.7% | 35 | 1.7% | 0.7% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| French | 40 | 1.6% | 0.7% | 22 | 1.1% | 0.7% | +18 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).