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 West Stowe were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
West Stowe - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for West Stowe in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Gladstone (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for West Stowe, with comparison markers for Gladstone (R).
Australian
2021 count
132
% of total
33.8%
Change from 2016
-4.1pp
132
33.8%
-4.1pp
English
2021 count
124
% of total
31.7%
Change from 2016
-6.6pp
124
31.7%
-6.6pp
Irish
2021 count
40
% of total
10.2%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
40
10.2%
+1.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
34
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
34
8.7%
-1.6pp
German
2021 count
22
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
22
5.6%
+1.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
10
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-
10
2.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+14
-4.1pp
English
+5
-6.6pp
Irish
+12
+1.2pp
Scottish
+2
-1.6pp
German
+8
+1.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for West Stowe. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Gladstone (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Gladstone (R)% | Count | % | Gladstone (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 132 | 33.8% | 41.3% | 118 | 37.9% | 43.2% | +14 | -4.1pp |
| English | 124 | 31.7% | 39.9% | 119 | 38.3% | 38.6% | +5 | -6.6pp |
| Irish | 40 | 10.2% | 9.8% | 28 | 9.0% | 10.6% | +12 | +1.2pp |
| Scottish | 34 | 8.7% | 10.1% | 32 | 10.3% | 10.0% | +2 | -1.6pp |
| German | 22 | 5.6% | 6.8% | 14 | 4.5% | 6.7% | +8 | +1.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 10 | 2.6% | 5.8% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).