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 Woopen Creek were English, Australian and Italian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Woopen Creek - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Woopen Creek in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Woopen Creek, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
English
2021 count
67
% of total
24.8%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
67
24.8%
+3.0pp
Australian
2021 count
45
% of total
16.7%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
45
16.7%
-1.6pp
Italian
2021 count
23
% of total
8.5%
Change from 2016
+7.6pp
23
8.5%
+7.6pp
Irish
2021 count
13
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
13
4.8%
-1.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
12
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
12
4.4%
-0.5pp
German
2021 count
11
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
11
4.1%
+1.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
10
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
-
10
3.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-489
+3.0pp
Australian
-422
-1.6pp
Italian
-1
+7.6pp
Irish
-148
-1.5pp
Scottish
-112
-0.5pp
German
-55
+1.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Woopen Creek. 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 | 67 | 24.8% | 17.2% | 556 | 21.8% | 17.5% | -489 | +3.0pp |
| Australian | 45 | 16.7% | 15.0% | 467 | 18.3% | 17.3% | -422 | -1.6pp |
| Italian | 23 | 8.5% | 2.5% | 24 | 0.9% | 2.4% | -1 | +7.6pp |
| Irish | 13 | 4.8% | 5.2% | 161 | 6.3% | 5.8% | -148 | -1.5pp |
| Scottish | 12 | 4.4% | 4.7% | 124 | 4.9% | 4.7% | -112 | -0.5pp |
| German | 11 | 4.1% | 2.6% | 66 | 2.6% | 2.7% | -55 | +1.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 10 | 3.7% | 3.5% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Total | 270 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,548 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -2,278 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).