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 Glenden were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Glenden - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Glenden in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Isaac (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Glenden, with comparison markers for Isaac (R).
Australian
2021 count
177
% of total
18.9%
Change from 2016
-3.6pp
177
18.9%
-3.6pp
English
2021 count
166
% of total
17.8%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
166
17.8%
-0.9pp
Irish
2021 count
55
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
55
5.9%
+0.9pp
Scottish
2021 count
38
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
38
4.1%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
22
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
22
2.4%
-0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
21
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
21
2.2%
+2.0pp
Maori
2021 count
19
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
19
2.0%
+0.9pp
Italian
2021 count
10
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
10
1.1%
+0.2pp
Spanish
2021 count
10
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
10
1.1%
+1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,064
-3.6pp
English
-867
-0.9pp
Irish
-222
+0.9pp
Scottish
-221
-0.6pp
German
-155
-0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+10
+2.0pp
Maori
-44
+0.9pp
Italian
-37
+0.2pp
Spanish
+7
+1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Glenden. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Isaac (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Isaac (R)% | Count | % | Isaac (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 177 | 18.9% | 18.2% | 1,241 | 22.5% | 21.6% | -1,064 | -3.6pp |
| English | 166 | 17.8% | 16.7% | 1,033 | 18.7% | 17.4% | -867 | -0.9pp |
| Irish | 55 | 5.9% | 4.4% | 277 | 5.0% | 5.3% | -222 | +0.9pp |
| Scottish | 38 | 4.1% | 4.1% | 259 | 4.7% | 4.6% | -221 | -0.6pp |
| German | 22 | 2.4% | 2.5% | 177 | 3.2% | 2.7% | -155 | -0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 21 | 2.2% | 2.2% | 11 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +10 | +2.0pp |
| Maori | 19 | 2.0% | 0.8% | 63 | 1.1% | 0.6% | -44 | +0.9pp |
| Italian | 10 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 47 | 0.9% | 0.9% | -37 | +0.2pp |
| Spanish | 10 | 1.1% | 0.2% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +7 | +1.0pp |
| Total | 935 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,522 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -4,587 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).