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 Geilston Bay were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Geilston Bay - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Geilston Bay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Clarence (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Geilston Bay, with comparison markers for Clarence (C).
English
2021 count
1,669
% of total
48.2%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
1,669
48.2%
-0.3pp
Australian
2021 count
1,425
% of total
41.2%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
1,425
41.2%
-2.6pp
Irish
2021 count
463
% of total
13.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
463
13.4%
+0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
356
% of total
10.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
356
10.3%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
109
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+2.9pp
109
3.1%
+2.9pp
German
2021 count
102
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
102
2.9%
-0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
74
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
74
2.1%
+0.8pp
Chinese
2021 count
65
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
65
1.9%
+0.9pp
Dutch
2021 count
57
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
57
1.6%
0.0pp
Polish
2021 count
40
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
40
1.2%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+148
-0.3pp
Australian
+52
-2.6pp
Irish
+66
+0.7pp
Scottish
+44
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+102
+2.9pp
German
-5
-0.5pp
Italian
+34
+0.8pp
Chinese
+34
+0.9pp
Dutch
+7
0.0pp
Polish
-1
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Geilston Bay. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Clarence (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Clarence (C)% | Count | % | Clarence (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,669 | 48.2% | 45.9% | 1,521 | 48.5% | 47.0% | +148 | -0.3pp |
| Australian | 1,425 | 41.2% | 40.3% | 1,373 | 43.8% | 43.4% | +52 | -2.6pp |
| Irish | 463 | 13.4% | 11.1% | 397 | 12.7% | 12.1% | +66 | +0.7pp |
| Scottish | 356 | 10.3% | 9.8% | 312 | 9.9% | 9.8% | +44 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 109 | 3.1% | 3.7% | 7 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +102 | +2.9pp |
| German | 102 | 2.9% | 3.5% | 107 | 3.4% | 3.5% | -5 | -0.5pp |
| Italian | 74 | 2.1% | 1.7% | 40 | 1.3% | 1.4% | +34 | +0.8pp |
| Chinese | 65 | 1.9% | 2.2% | 31 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +34 | +0.9pp |
| Dutch | 57 | 1.6% | 1.7% | 50 | 1.6% | 1.6% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Polish | 40 | 1.2% | 0.9% | 41 | 1.3% | 0.7% | -1 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).