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 Sturt (SA) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sturt (SA) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sturt (SA) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Marion (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sturt (SA), with comparison markers for Marion (C).
English
2021 count
892
% of total
16.1%
Change from 2016
-29.4pp
892
16.1%
-29.4pp
Australian
2021 count
722
% of total
13.0%
Change from 2016
-11.2pp
722
13.0%
-11.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
227
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-
227
4.1%
-
Irish
2021 count
191
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-
191
3.4%
-
Chinese
2021 count
191
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-
191
3.4%
-
German
2021 count
169
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-
169
3.0%
-
Indian
2021 count
147
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-
147
2.7%
-
Italian
2021 count
97
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
-
97
1.7%
-
Filipino
2021 count
63
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
63
1.1%
-
Nepalese
2021 count
55
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
55
1.0%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+877
-29.4pp
Australian
+714
-11.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sturt (SA). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Marion (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Marion (C)% | Count | % | Marion (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 892 | 16.1% | 19.2% | 15 | 45.5% | 19.3% | +877 | -29.4pp |
| Australian | 722 | 13.0% | 15.5% | 8 | 24.2% | 15.8% | +714 | -11.2pp |
| Scottish | 227 | 4.1% | 4.4% | - | - | 4.5% | - | - |
| Irish | 191 | 3.4% | 4.4% | - | - | 4.7% | - | - |
| Chinese | 191 | 3.4% | 2.6% | - | - | 2.4% | - | - |
| German | 169 | 3.0% | 3.3% | - | - | 3.4% | - | - |
| Indian | 147 | 2.7% | 1.6% | - | - | 1.4% | - | - |
| Italian | 97 | 1.7% | 1.9% | - | - | 1.8% | - | - |
| Filipino | 63 | 1.1% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.7% | - | - |
| Nepalese | 55 | 1.0% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 5,547 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 33 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +5,514 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).