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 Carnamah (S) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Carnamah (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Carnamah (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Carnamah (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
219
% of total
20.4%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
219
20.4%
-3.0pp
English
2021 count
204
% of total
19.0%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
204
19.0%
-1.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
66
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
66
6.1%
-0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
48
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
48
4.5%
-0.2pp
German
2021 count
27
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
27
2.5%
+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
17
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
17
1.6%
-
South African
2021 count
11
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
11
1.0%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-37
-3.0pp
English
-24
-1.8pp
Scottish
-3
-0.2pp
Irish
-4
-0.2pp
German
+2
+0.2pp
South African
+8
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Carnamah (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional WA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | % | Regional WA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 219 | 20.4% | 18.2% | 256 | 23.4% | 19.9% | -37 | -3.0pp |
| English | 204 | 19.0% | 20.0% | 228 | 20.8% | 19.7% | -24 | -1.8pp |
| Scottish | 66 | 6.1% | 4.5% | 69 | 6.3% | 4.4% | -3 | -0.2pp |
| Irish | 48 | 4.5% | 4.3% | 52 | 4.7% | 4.3% | -4 | -0.2pp |
| German | 27 | 2.5% | 1.7% | 25 | 2.3% | 1.7% | +2 | +0.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 17 | 1.6% | 3.9% | - | - | 1.5% | - | - |
| South African | 11 | 1.0% | 0.4% | 3 | 0.3% | 0.4% | +8 | +0.7pp |
| Total | 1,076 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,096 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -20 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).