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 East Mackay were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
East Mackay - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for East Mackay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for East Mackay, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
English
2021 count
1,480
% of total
39.7%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
1,480
39.7%
+1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
1,177
% of total
31.6%
Change from 2016
-6.5pp
1,177
31.6%
-6.5pp
Irish
2021 count
483
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
483
13.0%
-0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
428
% of total
11.5%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
428
11.5%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
232
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
232
6.2%
+0.3pp
Italian
2021 count
147
% of total
3.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
147
3.9%
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
143
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
143
3.8%
+3.4pp
Filipino
2021 count
85
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
85
2.3%
-0.6pp
Maltese
2021 count
74
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
74
2.0%
+0.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
70
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
70
1.9%
+1.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+113
+1.3pp
Australian
-180
-6.5pp
Irish
+3
-0.5pp
Scottish
-2
-0.6pp
German
+21
+0.3pp
Italian
+35
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+129
+3.4pp
Filipino
-19
-0.6pp
Maltese
+20
+0.5pp
Torres Strait Islander
+62
+1.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for East Mackay. 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 | 1,480 | 39.7% | 38.0% | 1,367 | 38.4% | 38.0% | +113 | +1.3pp |
| Australian | 1,177 | 31.6% | 38.3% | 1,357 | 38.1% | 41.3% | -180 | -6.5pp |
| Irish | 483 | 13.0% | 10.4% | 480 | 13.5% | 11.7% | +3 | -0.5pp |
| Scottish | 428 | 11.5% | 10.3% | 430 | 12.1% | 10.9% | -2 | -0.6pp |
| German | 232 | 6.2% | 6.2% | 211 | 5.9% | 6.6% | +21 | +0.3pp |
| Italian | 147 | 3.9% | 3.2% | 112 | 3.1% | 3.0% | +35 | +0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 143 | 3.8% | 4.8% | 14 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +129 | +3.4pp |
| Filipino | 85 | 2.3% | 2.0% | 104 | 2.9% | 1.7% | -19 | -0.6pp |
| Maltese | 74 | 2.0% | 3.2% | 54 | 1.5% | 3.1% | +20 | +0.5pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 70 | 1.9% | 2.0% | 8 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +62 | +1.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).