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 Caniaba were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Caniaba - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Caniaba in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Lismore (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Caniaba, with comparison markers for Lismore (C).
Australian
2021 count
391
% of total
24.6%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
391
24.6%
-3.4pp
English
2021 count
325
% of total
20.5%
Change from 2016
+1.8pp
325
20.5%
+1.8pp
Irish
2021 count
111
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
-
111
7.0%
-
Scottish
2021 count
82
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-
82
5.2%
-
Italian
2021 count
56
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
-
56
3.5%
-
German
2021 count
44
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
44
2.8%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
28
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
28
1.8%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+370
-3.4pp
English
+311
+1.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Caniaba. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Lismore (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Lismore (C)% | Count | % | Lismore (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 391 | 24.6% | 19.8% | 21 | 28.0% | 20.7% | +370 | -3.4pp |
| English | 325 | 20.5% | 20.6% | 14 | 18.7% | 20.6% | +311 | +1.8pp |
| Irish | 111 | 7.0% | 7.2% | - | - | 7.6% | - | - |
| Scottish | 82 | 5.2% | 6.1% | - | - | 5.8% | - | - |
| Italian | 56 | 3.5% | 2.1% | - | - | 2.2% | - | - |
| German | 44 | 2.8% | 2.4% | - | - | 2.4% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 28 | 1.8% | 2.8% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 1,589 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 75 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,514 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).