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 Rural View were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Rural View - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Rural View in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Rural View, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Australian
2021 count
2,249
% of total
19.9%
Change from 2016
-3.7pp
2,249
19.9%
-3.7pp
English
2021 count
2,149
% of total
19.0%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
2,149
19.0%
-4.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
587
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
587
5.2%
+1.5pp
Irish
2021 count
497
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-3.0pp
497
4.4%
-3.0pp
German
2021 count
389
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
389
3.4%
+1.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
243
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-
243
2.2%
-
Italian
2021 count
220
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
220
1.9%
-1.1pp
Torres Strait Islander
2021 count
134
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
-
134
1.2%
-
Filipino
2021 count
108
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
108
1.0%
-
Maltese
2021 count
103
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
103
0.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+2,179
-3.7pp
English
+2,080
-4.3pp
Scottish
+576
+1.5pp
Irish
+475
-3.0pp
German
+384
+1.7pp
Italian
+211
-1.1pp
Dutch
+90
-0.2pp
Danish
+28
-1.1pp
Samoan
+17
-0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Rural View. 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 | 2,249 | 19.9% | 19.2% | 70 | 23.6% | 20.6% | +2,179 | -3.7pp |
| English | 2,149 | 19.0% | 19.0% | 69 | 23.3% | 19.0% | +2,080 | -4.3pp |
| Scottish | 587 | 5.2% | 5.1% | 11 | 3.7% | 5.4% | +576 | +1.5pp |
| Irish | 497 | 4.4% | 5.2% | 22 | 7.4% | 5.9% | +475 | -3.0pp |
| German | 389 | 3.4% | 3.1% | 5 | 1.7% | 3.3% | +384 | +1.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 243 | 2.2% | 2.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Italian | 220 | 1.9% | 1.6% | 9 | 3.0% | 1.5% | +211 | -1.1pp |
| Torres Strait Islander | 134 | 1.2% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Filipino | 108 | 1.0% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Maltese | 103 | 0.9% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.6% | - | - |
| Total | 11,287 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 296 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +10,991 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).