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 Petermann were Australian Aboriginal, Australian and English.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Petermann - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Petermann in 2021 for persons, with comparison against MacDonnell (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Petermann, with comparison markers for MacDonnell (R).
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
45
% of total
32.6%
Change from 2016
+8.3pp
45
32.6%
+8.3pp
Australian
2021 count
22
% of total
15.9%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
22
15.9%
-0.9pp
English
2021 count
19
% of total
13.8%
Change from 2016
-5.7pp
19
13.8%
-5.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
0
+8.3pp
Australian
-9
-0.9pp
English
-17
-5.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Petermann. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with MacDonnell (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | MacDonnell (R)% | Count | % | MacDonnell (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 45 | 32.6% | 74.7% | 45 | 24.3% | 58.8% | 0 | +8.3pp |
| Australian | 22 | 15.9% | 4.4% | 31 | 16.8% | 9.0% | -9 | -0.9pp |
| English | 19 | 13.8% | 4.3% | 36 | 19.5% | 5.0% | -17 | -5.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).