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 Elliston (DC) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Elliston (DC) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Elliston (DC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Elliston (DC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
Australian
2021 count
452
% of total
22.6%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
452
22.6%
-1.3pp
English
2021 count
381
% of total
19.1%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
381
19.1%
-1.1pp
Irish
2021 count
113
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
113
5.7%
+0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
111
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
111
5.6%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
103
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
103
5.2%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
36
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
36
1.8%
-
Polish
2021 count
16
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
16
0.8%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-48
-1.3pp
English
-40
-1.1pp
Irish
+10
+0.8pp
Scottish
+2
+0.4pp
German
-11
-0.3pp
Polish
+7
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Elliston (DC). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 452 | 22.6% | 20.3% | 500 | 23.9% | 21.0% | -48 | -1.3pp |
| English | 381 | 19.1% | 21.0% | 421 | 20.2% | 20.5% | -40 | -1.1pp |
| Irish | 113 | 5.7% | 3.8% | 103 | 4.9% | 3.9% | +10 | +0.8pp |
| Scottish | 111 | 5.6% | 4.6% | 109 | 5.2% | 4.5% | +2 | +0.4pp |
| German | 103 | 5.2% | 5.3% | 114 | 5.5% | 5.4% | -11 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 36 | 1.8% | 2.2% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Polish | 16 | 0.8% | 0.3% | 9 | 0.4% | 0.3% | +7 | +0.4pp |
| Total | 1,998 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,089 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -91 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).