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 Midge Point were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Midge Point - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Midge Point in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Midge Point, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
170
% of total
19.8%
Change from 2016
+4.6pp
170
19.8%
+4.6pp
English
2021 count
158
% of total
18.4%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
158
18.4%
-0.8pp
Irish
2021 count
60
% of total
7.0%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
60
7.0%
+0.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
52
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
52
6.1%
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
24
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+2.7pp
24
2.8%
+2.7pp
German
2021 count
17
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
17
2.0%
-0.7pp
Italian
2021 count
14
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
14
1.6%
-0.4pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
10
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
10
1.2%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-1,803
+4.6pp
English
-2,346
-0.8pp
Irish
-790
+0.5pp
Scottish
-638
+0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+12
+2.7pp
German
-340
-0.7pp
Italian
-246
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Midge 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 | |
| Australian | 170 | 19.8% | 19.2% | 1,973 | 15.2% | 20.6% | -1,803 | +4.6pp |
| English | 158 | 18.4% | 19.0% | 2,504 | 19.2% | 19.0% | -2,346 | -0.8pp |
| Irish | 60 | 7.0% | 5.2% | 850 | 6.5% | 5.9% | -790 | +0.5pp |
| Scottish | 52 | 6.1% | 5.1% | 690 | 5.3% | 5.4% | -638 | +0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 24 | 2.8% | 2.4% | 12 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +12 | +2.7pp |
| German | 17 | 2.0% | 3.1% | 357 | 2.7% | 3.3% | -340 | -0.7pp |
| Italian | 14 | 1.6% | 1.6% | 260 | 2.0% | 1.5% | -246 | -0.4pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 10 | 1.2% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Total | 859 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 13,009 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -12,150 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).