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 Dumbleyung (S) were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Dumbleyung (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Dumbleyung (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional WA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Dumbleyung (S), with comparison markers for Regional WA.
Australian
2021 count
304
% of total
22.5%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
304
22.5%
-1.2pp
English
2021 count
252
% of total
18.6%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
252
18.6%
-1.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
61
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
61
4.5%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
59
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
59
4.4%
+0.2pp
German
2021 count
32
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
32
2.4%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
28
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
28
2.1%
+1.6pp
Italian
2021 count
13
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
13
1.0%
+0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
11
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
11
0.8%
-0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
10
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
10
0.7%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-11
-1.2pp
English
-11
-1.2pp
Scottish
+4
+0.2pp
Irish
+3
+0.2pp
German
+10
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+22
+1.6pp
Italian
+2
+0.2pp
Dutch
-1
-0.1pp
Welsh
+7
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Dumbleyung (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 | 304 | 22.5% | 18.2% | 315 | 23.7% | 19.9% | -11 | -1.2pp |
| English | 252 | 18.6% | 20.0% | 263 | 19.8% | 19.7% | -11 | -1.2pp |
| Scottish | 61 | 4.5% | 4.5% | 57 | 4.3% | 4.4% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 59 | 4.4% | 4.3% | 56 | 4.2% | 4.3% | +3 | +0.2pp |
| German | 32 | 2.4% | 1.7% | 22 | 1.7% | 1.7% | +10 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 28 | 2.1% | 3.9% | 6 | 0.5% | 1.5% | +22 | +1.6pp |
| Italian | 13 | 1.0% | 1.9% | 11 | 0.8% | 1.8% | +2 | +0.2pp |
| Dutch | 11 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 12 | 0.9% | 0.9% | -1 | -0.1pp |
| Welsh | 10 | 0.7% | 0.4% | 3 | 0.2% | 0.4% | +7 | +0.5pp |
| Total | 1,352 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,328 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +24 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).