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 Dowerin (S) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Dowerin (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Dowerin (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Dowerin (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
369
% of total
26.2%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
369
26.2%
-0.8pp
English
2021 count
322
% of total
22.9%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
322
22.9%
+2.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
70
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
70
5.0%
+1.2pp
Irish
2021 count
46
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
46
3.3%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
29
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
29
2.1%
+1.8pp
German
2021 count
20
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
20
1.4%
-0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
18
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
18
1.3%
+0.4pp
Italian
2021 count
11
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
11
0.8%
-0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-3
-0.8pp
English
+35
+2.0pp
Scottish
+18
+1.2pp
Irish
+10
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+25
+1.8pp
German
-5
-0.4pp
Dutch
+5
+0.4pp
Italian
-4
-0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Dowerin (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 | 369 | 26.2% | 18.2% | 372 | 27.0% | 19.9% | -3 | -0.8pp |
| English | 322 | 22.9% | 20.0% | 287 | 20.9% | 19.7% | +35 | +2.0pp |
| Scottish | 70 | 5.0% | 4.5% | 52 | 3.8% | 4.4% | +18 | +1.2pp |
| Irish | 46 | 3.3% | 4.3% | 36 | 2.6% | 4.3% | +10 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 29 | 2.1% | 3.9% | 4 | 0.3% | 1.5% | +25 | +1.8pp |
| German | 20 | 1.4% | 1.7% | 25 | 1.8% | 1.7% | -5 | -0.4pp |
| Dutch | 18 | 1.3% | 1.0% | 13 | 0.9% | 0.9% | +5 | +0.4pp |
| Italian | 11 | 0.8% | 1.9% | 15 | 1.1% | 1.8% | -4 | -0.3pp |
| Total | 1,408 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,376 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +32 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).