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 Mansfield (Vic.) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mansfield (Vic.) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mansfield (Vic.) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mansfield (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mansfield (Vic.), with comparison markers for Mansfield (S).
English
2021 count
2,387
% of total
43.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
2,387
43.1%
+0.6pp
Australian
2021 count
2,253
% of total
40.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,253
40.7%
-0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
853
% of total
15.4%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
853
15.4%
-1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
760
% of total
13.7%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
760
13.7%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
295
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
295
5.3%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
144
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
144
2.6%
+0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
140
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
140
2.5%
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
61
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
61
1.1%
+0.9pp
Chinese
2021 count
52
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
52
0.9%
+0.2pp
New Zealander
2021 count
48
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
48
0.9%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+351
+0.6pp
Australian
+298
-0.1pp
Irish
+65
-1.1pp
Scottish
+172
+1.4pp
German
+66
+0.5pp
Italian
+32
+0.3pp
Dutch
+41
+0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
+51
+0.9pp
Chinese
+18
+0.2pp
New Zealander
+21
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mansfield (Vic.). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mansfield (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mansfield (S)% | Count | % | Mansfield (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,387 | 43.1% | 42.2% | 2,036 | 42.5% | 41.7% | +351 | +0.6pp |
| Australian | 2,253 | 40.7% | 39.1% | 1,955 | 40.8% | 39.9% | +298 | -0.1pp |
| Irish | 853 | 15.4% | 14.3% | 788 | 16.5% | 14.6% | +65 | -1.1pp |
| Scottish | 760 | 13.7% | 13.0% | 588 | 12.3% | 12.3% | +172 | +1.4pp |
| German | 295 | 5.3% | 5.3% | 229 | 4.8% | 5.1% | +66 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 144 | 2.6% | 2.6% | 112 | 2.3% | 2.4% | +32 | +0.3pp |
| Dutch | 140 | 2.5% | 2.5% | 99 | 2.1% | 2.2% | +41 | +0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 61 | 1.1% | 1.1% | 10 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +51 | +0.9pp |
| Chinese | 52 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 34 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +18 | +0.2pp |
| New Zealander | 48 | 0.9% | 0.7% | 27 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +21 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).