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 Coen were Australian Aboriginal, Australian and Torres Strait Islander.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coen - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coen in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cook (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coen, with comparison markers for Cook (S).
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
231
% of total
36.7%
Change from 2016
-
231
36.7%
-
Australian
2021 count
41
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
-13.9pp
41
6.5%
-13.9pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
37
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-
37
5.9%
-
English
2021 count
25
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
-23.9pp
25
4.0%
-23.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
11
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
11
1.7%
-1.2pp
Irish
2021 count
11
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
11
1.7%
-0.8pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-8
-13.9pp
English
-42
-23.9pp
Scottish
+4
-1.2pp
Irish
+5
-0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coen. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cook (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 231 | 36.7% | 9.6% | - | - | 5.1% | - | - |
| Australian | 41 | 6.5% | 14.8% | 49 | 20.4% | 18.0% | -8 | -13.9pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 37 | 5.9% | 1.1% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| English | 25 | 4.0% | 14.3% | 67 | 27.9% | 14.5% | -42 | -23.9pp |
| Scottish | 11 | 1.7% | 3.6% | 7 | 2.9% | 3.8% | +4 | -1.2pp |
| Irish | 11 | 1.7% | 4.4% | 6 | 2.5% | 4.6% | +5 | -0.8pp |
| Total | 630 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 240 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +390 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).