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 Main Creek were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Main Creek - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Main Creek in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Dungog (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Main Creek, with comparison markers for Dungog (A).
English
2021 count
50
% of total
27.3%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
50
27.3%
+5.4pp
Australian
2021 count
35
% of total
19.1%
Change from 2016
-3.5pp
35
19.1%
-3.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
13
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
13
7.1%
+1.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-352
+5.4pp
Australian
-380
-3.5pp
Scottish
-96
+1.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Main Creek. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Dungog (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Dungog (A)% | Count | % | Dungog (A)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 50 | 27.3% | 22.3% | 402 | 21.9% | 21.5% | -352 | +5.4pp |
| Australian | 35 | 19.1% | 24.2% | 415 | 22.6% | 24.1% | -380 | -3.5pp |
| Scottish | 13 | 7.1% | 5.3% | 109 | 5.9% | 5.2% | -96 | +1.2pp |
| Total | 183 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,839 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -1,656 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).