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 Roelands were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Roelands - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Roelands in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Harvey (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Roelands, with comparison markers for Harvey (S).
English
2021 count
456
% of total
24.3%
Change from 2016
+3.5pp
456
24.3%
+3.5pp
Australian
2021 count
385
% of total
20.5%
Change from 2016
-7.3pp
385
20.5%
-7.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
93
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
93
5.0%
-2.6pp
Irish
2021 count
89
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-
89
4.7%
-
Italian
2021 count
71
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-
71
3.8%
-
Dutch
2021 count
33
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
33
1.8%
-
German
2021 count
28
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
28
1.5%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
18
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
18
1.0%
-
Croatian
2021 count
12
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
12
0.6%
-
South African
2021 count
12
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
12
0.6%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+426
+3.5pp
Australian
+345
-7.3pp
Scottish
+82
-2.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Roelands. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Harvey (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Harvey (S)% | Count | % | Harvey (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 456 | 24.3% | 22.7% | 30 | 20.8% | 22.0% | +426 | +3.5pp |
| Australian | 385 | 20.5% | 20.1% | 40 | 27.8% | 19.8% | +345 | -7.3pp |
| Scottish | 93 | 5.0% | 4.7% | 11 | 7.6% | 4.5% | +82 | -2.6pp |
| Irish | 89 | 4.7% | 4.5% | - | - | 4.7% | - | - |
| Italian | 71 | 3.8% | 3.9% | - | - | 3.9% | - | - |
| Dutch | 33 | 1.8% | 1.1% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| German | 28 | 1.5% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.5% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 18 | 1.0% | 1.5% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Croatian | 12 | 0.6% | 0.2% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| South African | 12 | 0.6% | 0.5% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 1,877 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 144 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,733 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).