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 Silver Sands were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Silver Sands - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Silver Sands in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mandurah (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Silver Sands, with comparison markers for Mandurah (C).
English
2021 count
743
% of total
51.2%
Change from 2016
+5.5pp
743
51.2%
+5.5pp
Australian
2021 count
493
% of total
34.0%
Change from 2016
-6.0pp
493
34.0%
-6.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
193
% of total
13.3%
Change from 2016
+4.0pp
193
13.3%
+4.0pp
Irish
2021 count
187
% of total
12.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
187
12.9%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
54
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
54
3.7%
-0.8pp
German
2021 count
45
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
45
3.1%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
30
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
30
2.1%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
29
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-
29
2.0%
-
Croatian
2021 count
27
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
27
1.9%
+0.5pp
Filipino
2021 count
19
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
19
1.3%
+0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+168
+5.5pp
Australian
-10
-6.0pp
Scottish
+76
+4.0pp
Irish
+23
-0.1pp
Italian
-2
-0.8pp
German
+10
+0.3pp
Dutch
+4
0.0pp
Croatian
+10
+0.5pp
Filipino
+11
+0.7pp
Welsh
+8
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Silver Sands. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mandurah (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mandurah (C)% | Count | % | Mandurah (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 743 | 51.2% | 48.1% | 575 | 45.7% | 47.4% | +168 | +5.5pp |
| Australian | 493 | 34.0% | 35.1% | 503 | 40.0% | 35.9% | -10 | -6.0pp |
| Scottish | 193 | 13.3% | 10.2% | 117 | 9.3% | 10.2% | +76 | +4.0pp |
| Irish | 187 | 12.9% | 9.6% | 164 | 13.0% | 9.8% | +23 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 54 | 3.7% | 3.2% | 56 | 4.5% | 3.1% | -2 | -0.8pp |
| German | 45 | 3.1% | 3.3% | 35 | 2.8% | 3.3% | +10 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 30 | 2.1% | 2.2% | 26 | 2.1% | 2.0% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 29 | 2.0% | 2.8% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Croatian | 27 | 1.9% | 0.5% | 17 | 1.4% | 0.4% | +10 | +0.5pp |
| Filipino | 19 | 1.3% | 1.6% | 8 | 0.6% | 1.2% | +11 | +0.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).