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 Bloomsbury were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Bloomsbury - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Bloomsbury in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Bloomsbury, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
252
% of total
46.8%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
252
46.8%
+3.0pp
English
2021 count
192
% of total
35.6%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
192
35.6%
-1.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
76
% of total
14.1%
Change from 2016
+3.1pp
76
14.1%
+3.1pp
Irish
2021 count
51
% of total
9.5%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
51
9.5%
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
34
% of total
6.3%
Change from 2016
+5.6pp
34
6.3%
+5.6pp
German
2021 count
30
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
30
5.6%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
11
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
11
2.0%
-1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-10
+3.0pp
English
-27
-1.0pp
Scottish
+10
+3.1pp
Irish
-4
+0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+30
+5.6pp
German
-7
-0.6pp
Italian
-7
-1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Bloomsbury. 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 | 252 | 46.8% | 38.3% | 262 | 43.8% | 41.3% | -10 | +3.0pp |
| English | 192 | 35.6% | 38.0% | 219 | 36.6% | 38.0% | -27 | -1.0pp |
| Scottish | 76 | 14.1% | 10.3% | 66 | 11.0% | 10.9% | +10 | +3.1pp |
| Irish | 51 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 55 | 9.2% | 11.7% | -4 | +0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 34 | 6.3% | 4.8% | 4 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +30 | +5.6pp |
| German | 30 | 5.6% | 6.2% | 37 | 6.2% | 6.6% | -7 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 11 | 2.0% | 3.2% | 18 | 3.0% | 3.0% | -7 | -1.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).