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 Freshwater Point were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Freshwater Point - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Freshwater Point in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Freshwater Point, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
English
2021 count
73
% of total
22.2%
Change from 2016
-17.1pp
73
22.2%
-17.1pp
Australian
2021 count
66
% of total
20.1%
Change from 2016
+9.4pp
66
20.1%
+9.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
24
% of total
7.3%
Change from 2016
-
24
7.3%
-
Irish
2021 count
19
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
-
19
5.8%
-
German
2021 count
10
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-
10
3.0%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+62
-17.1pp
Australian
+63
+9.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Freshwater Point. 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 | 73 | 22.2% | 19.0% | 11 | 39.3% | 19.0% | +62 | -17.1pp |
| Australian | 66 | 20.1% | 19.2% | 3 | 10.7% | 20.6% | +63 | +9.4pp |
| Scottish | 24 | 7.3% | 5.1% | - | - | 5.4% | - | - |
| Irish | 19 | 5.8% | 5.2% | - | - | 5.9% | - | - |
| German | 10 | 3.0% | 3.1% | - | - | 3.3% | - | - |
| Total | 329 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 28 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +301 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).