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 Blacks Beach were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Blacks Beach - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Blacks Beach in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Blacks Beach, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
English
2021 count
1,600
% of total
38.5%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
1,600
38.5%
-2.5pp
Australian
2021 count
1,537
% of total
37.0%
Change from 2016
-3.6pp
1,537
37.0%
-3.6pp
Irish
2021 count
395
% of total
9.5%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
395
9.5%
-1.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
389
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
389
9.4%
-0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
284
% of total
6.8%
Change from 2016
+6.2pp
284
6.8%
+6.2pp
German
2021 count
229
% of total
5.5%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
229
5.5%
-1.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
130
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
130
3.1%
+2.8pp
Italian
2021 count
122
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
122
2.9%
+0.4pp
South African
2021 count
90
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
90
2.2%
+0.3pp
Maori
2021 count
61
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
61
1.5%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+18
-2.5pp
Australian
-31
-3.6pp
Irish
-27
-1.4pp
Scottish
+1
-0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
+262
+6.2pp
German
-23
-1.0pp
Torres Strait Islander
+119
+2.8pp
Italian
+25
+0.4pp
South African
+16
+0.3pp
Maori
+31
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Blacks Beach. 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 | |
| English | 1,600 | 38.5% | 38.0% | 1,582 | 41.0% | 38.0% | +18 | -2.5pp |
| Australian | 1,537 | 37.0% | 38.3% | 1,568 | 40.6% | 41.3% | -31 | -3.6pp |
| Irish | 395 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 422 | 10.9% | 11.7% | -27 | -1.4pp |
| Scottish | 389 | 9.4% | 10.3% | 388 | 10.0% | 10.9% | +1 | -0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 284 | 6.8% | 4.8% | 22 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +262 | +6.2pp |
| German | 229 | 5.5% | 6.2% | 252 | 6.5% | 6.6% | -23 | -1.0pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 130 | 3.1% | 2.0% | 11 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +119 | +2.8pp |
| Italian | 122 | 2.9% | 3.2% | 97 | 2.5% | 3.0% | +25 | +0.4pp |
| South African | 90 | 2.2% | 0.7% | 74 | 1.9% | 0.6% | +16 | +0.3pp |
| Maori | 61 | 1.5% | 0.8% | 30 | 0.8% | 0.7% | +31 | +0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).