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 Beaconsfield (Qld) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Beaconsfield (Qld) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Beaconsfield (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Beaconsfield (Qld), with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
2,257
% of total
38.3%
Change from 2016
-3.9pp
2,257
38.3%
-3.9pp
English
2021 count
2,243
% of total
38.0%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
2,243
38.0%
-2.7pp
Irish
2021 count
614
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
614
10.4%
-1.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
537
% of total
9.1%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
537
9.1%
-1.6pp
German
2021 count
397
% of total
6.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
397
6.7%
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
337
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+4.2pp
337
5.7%
+4.2pp
Italian
2021 count
178
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
178
3.0%
+0.2pp
Maltese
2021 count
175
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
175
3.0%
+0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
173
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
173
2.9%
+2.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
106
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
106
1.8%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-58
-3.9pp
English
+11
-2.7pp
Irish
-43
-1.6pp
Scottish
-49
-1.6pp
German
+5
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+252
+4.2pp
Italian
+25
+0.2pp
Maltese
+28
+0.3pp
Torres Strait Islander
+139
+2.3pp
Filipino
+37
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Beaconsfield (Qld). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 2,257 | 38.3% | 38.3% | 2,315 | 42.2% | 41.3% | -58 | -3.9pp |
| English | 2,243 | 38.0% | 38.0% | 2,232 | 40.7% | 38.0% | +11 | -2.7pp |
| Irish | 614 | 10.4% | 10.4% | 657 | 12.0% | 11.7% | -43 | -1.6pp |
| Scottish | 537 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 586 | 10.7% | 10.9% | -49 | -1.6pp |
| German | 397 | 6.7% | 6.2% | 392 | 7.1% | 6.6% | +5 | -0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 337 | 5.7% | 4.8% | 85 | 1.5% | 0.5% | +252 | +4.2pp |
| Italian | 178 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 153 | 2.8% | 3.0% | +25 | +0.2pp |
| Maltese | 175 | 3.0% | 3.2% | 147 | 2.7% | 3.1% | +28 | +0.3pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 173 | 2.9% | 2.0% | 34 | 0.6% | 0.3% | +139 | +2.3pp |
| Filipino | 106 | 1.8% | 2.0% | 69 | 1.3% | 1.7% | +37 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).