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 Longreach (R) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Longreach (R) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Longreach (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Longreach (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian
2021 count
1,457
% of total
20.0%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
1,457
20.0%
-3.3pp
English
2021 count
1,391
% of total
19.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,391
19.1%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
432
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
432
5.9%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
396
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
396
5.4%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
219
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
219
3.0%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
186
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+2.2pp
186
2.6%
+2.2pp
Italian
2021 count
50
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
50
0.7%
0.0pp
Maori
2021 count
46
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
46
0.6%
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
36
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
36
0.5%
+0.4pp
New Zealander
2021 count
30
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
30
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-234
-3.3pp
English
-45
-0.6pp
Irish
-31
-0.5pp
Scottish
-43
-0.6pp
German
+11
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+160
+2.2pp
Italian
+1
0.0pp
Maori
+9
+0.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
+30
+0.4pp
New Zealander
+8
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Longreach (R). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,457 | 20.0% | 17.7% | 1,691 | 23.3% | 18.8% | -234 | -3.3pp |
| English | 1,391 | 19.1% | 19.8% | 1,436 | 19.7% | 19.6% | -45 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 432 | 5.9% | 5.5% | 463 | 6.4% | 5.9% | -31 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 396 | 5.4% | 5.2% | 439 | 6.0% | 5.2% | -43 | -0.6pp |
| German | 219 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 208 | 2.9% | 3.3% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 186 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 26 | 0.4% | 0.6% | +160 | +2.2pp |
| Italian | 50 | 0.7% | 1.6% | 49 | 0.7% | 1.5% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Maori | 46 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 37 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +9 | +0.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 36 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 6 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +30 | +0.4pp |
| New Zealander | 30 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 22 | 0.3% | 0.7% | +8 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 7,271 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 7,273 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -2 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).