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 Stratford (Qld) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Stratford (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Stratford (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Stratford (Qld), with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
502
% of total
41.9%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
502
41.9%
-1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
392
% of total
32.7%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
392
32.7%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
185
% of total
15.4%
Change from 2016
+3.3pp
185
15.4%
+3.3pp
Irish
2021 count
183
% of total
15.3%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
183
15.3%
-0.9pp
German
2021 count
71
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
71
5.9%
-0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
53
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
53
4.4%
-0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
42
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-
42
3.5%
-
Dutch
2021 count
23
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
23
1.9%
+0.5pp
Welsh
2021 count
20
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
20
1.7%
+0.2pp
Maori
2021 count
17
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
17
1.4%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+10
-1.3pp
Australian
+24
+0.4pp
Scottish
+47
+3.3pp
Irish
-1
-0.9pp
German
+1
-0.3pp
Italian
-4
-0.6pp
Dutch
+7
+0.5pp
Welsh
+3
+0.2pp
Maori
+9
+0.7pp
Indian
+4
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Stratford (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 | 502 | 41.9% | 34.4% | 492 | 43.2% | 35.1% | +10 | -1.3pp |
| Australian | 392 | 32.7% | 30.0% | 368 | 32.3% | 34.6% | +24 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 185 | 15.4% | 9.3% | 138 | 12.1% | 9.4% | +47 | +3.3pp |
| Irish | 183 | 15.3% | 10.5% | 184 | 16.2% | 11.6% | -1 | -0.9pp |
| German | 71 | 5.9% | 5.2% | 70 | 6.2% | 5.4% | +1 | -0.3pp |
| Italian | 53 | 4.4% | 5.0% | 57 | 5.0% | 4.8% | -4 | -0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 42 | 3.5% | 7.1% | - | - | 1.2% | - | - |
| Dutch | 23 | 1.9% | 1.6% | 16 | 1.4% | 1.6% | +7 | +0.5pp |
| Welsh | 20 | 1.7% | 0.7% | 17 | 1.5% | 0.7% | +3 | +0.2pp |
| Maori | 17 | 1.4% | 0.7% | 8 | 0.7% | 0.7% | +9 | +0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).