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 Cornishtown were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cornishtown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cornishtown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Indigo (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cornishtown, with comparison markers for Indigo (S).
Australian
2021 count
33
% of total
35.1%
Change from 2016
-18.0pp
33
35.1%
-18.0pp
English
2021 count
31
% of total
33.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
31
33.0%
+0.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
17
% of total
18.1%
Change from 2016
+11.8pp
17
18.1%
+11.8pp
Irish
2021 count
14
% of total
14.9%
Change from 2016
-7.0pp
14
14.9%
-7.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-18
-18.0pp
English
0
+0.7pp
Scottish
+11
+11.8pp
Irish
-7
-7.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cornishtown. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Indigo (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Indigo (S)% | Count | % | Indigo (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 33 | 35.1% | 42.8% | 51 | 53.1% | 42.9% | -18 | -18.0pp |
| English | 31 | 33.0% | 43.8% | 31 | 32.3% | 41.8% | 0 | +0.7pp |
| Scottish | 17 | 18.1% | 12.5% | 6 | 6.3% | 11.7% | +11 | +11.8pp |
| Irish | 14 | 14.9% | 14.7% | 21 | 21.9% | 13.8% | -7 | -7.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).