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 Redlynch were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Redlynch - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Redlynch in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Redlynch, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
4,148
% of total
19.7%
Change from 2016
-42.8pp
4,148
19.7%
-42.8pp
Australian
2021 count
3,722
% of total
17.6%
Change from 2016
-19.9pp
3,722
17.6%
-19.9pp
Irish
2021 count
1,124
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
-
1,124
5.3%
-
Scottish
2021 count
1,074
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
-
1,074
5.1%
-
Italian
2021 count
607
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-
607
2.9%
-
German
2021 count
600
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
600
2.8%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
358
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
358
1.7%
-
Indian
2021 count
301
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
301
1.4%
-
Dutch
2021 count
208
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
208
1.0%
-
Papua New Guinean
2021 count
200
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
200
0.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+4,143
-42.8pp
Australian
+3,719
-19.9pp
Data table
Ancestry for Redlynch. 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 | 4,148 | 19.7% | 17.2% | 5 | 62.5% | 17.5% | +4,143 | -42.8pp |
| Australian | 3,722 | 17.6% | 15.0% | 3 | 37.5% | 17.3% | +3,719 | -19.9pp |
| Irish | 1,124 | 5.3% | 5.2% | - | - | 5.8% | - | - |
| Scottish | 1,074 | 5.1% | 4.7% | - | - | 4.7% | - | - |
| Italian | 607 | 2.9% | 2.5% | - | - | 2.4% | - | - |
| German | 600 | 2.8% | 2.6% | - | - | 2.7% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 358 | 1.7% | 3.5% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Indian | 301 | 1.4% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Dutch | 208 | 1.0% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Papua New Guinean | 200 | 0.9% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Total | 21,091 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +21,083 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).