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 Dunoon were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Dunoon - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Dunoon in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Lismore (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Dunoon, with comparison markers for Lismore (C).
Australian
2021 count
362
% of total
43.1%
Change from 2016
-3.5pp
362
43.1%
-3.5pp
English
2021 count
336
% of total
40.0%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
336
40.0%
-1.7pp
Irish
2021 count
113
% of total
13.5%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
113
13.5%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
112
% of total
13.3%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
112
13.3%
-0.8pp
German
2021 count
43
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
43
5.1%
+0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
40
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
40
4.8%
+1.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
13
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
13
1.5%
+1.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
10
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
10
1.2%
+0.8pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+42
-3.5pp
English
+50
-1.7pp
Irish
+24
+0.5pp
Scottish
+15
-0.8pp
German
+13
+0.7pp
Italian
+15
+1.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
+10
+1.1pp
Welsh
+7
+0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Dunoon. 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 | 362 | 43.1% | 39.6% | 320 | 46.6% | 41.3% | +42 | -3.5pp |
| English | 336 | 40.0% | 41.2% | 286 | 41.7% | 41.3% | +50 | -1.7pp |
| Irish | 113 | 13.5% | 14.3% | 89 | 13.0% | 15.2% | +24 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 112 | 13.3% | 12.1% | 97 | 14.1% | 11.7% | +15 | -0.8pp |
| German | 43 | 5.1% | 4.8% | 30 | 4.4% | 4.7% | +13 | +0.7pp |
| Italian | 40 | 4.8% | 4.3% | 25 | 3.6% | 4.4% | +15 | +1.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 13 | 1.5% | 5.6% | 3 | 0.4% | 0.9% | +10 | +1.1pp |
| Welsh | 10 | 1.2% | 0.6% | 3 | 0.4% | 0.6% | +7 | +0.8pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).