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 Meander Valley (M) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Meander Valley (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Meander Valley (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Tas. and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Meander Valley (M), with comparison markers for Regional Tas..
English
2021 count
9,640
% of total
23.3%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
9,640
23.3%
+0.6pp
Australian
2021 count
9,129
% of total
22.1%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
9,129
22.1%
-0.9pp
Irish
2021 count
2,022
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,022
4.9%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,968
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
1,968
4.8%
+0.3pp
German
2021 count
708
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
708
1.7%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
697
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
697
1.7%
+1.6pp
Dutch
2021 count
488
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
488
1.2%
0.0pp
Italian
2021 count
307
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
307
0.7%
0.0pp
Chinese
2021 count
163
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
163
0.4%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
128
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
128
0.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+894
+0.6pp
Australian
+256
-0.9pp
Irish
+111
-0.1pp
Scottish
+240
+0.3pp
German
+66
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+661
+1.6pp
Dutch
+19
0.0pp
Italian
+25
0.0pp
Chinese
+72
+0.2pp
Filipino
+35
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Meander Valley (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Tas..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | pp | |
| English | 9,640 | 23.3% | 22.3% | 8,746 | 22.7% | 22.3% | +894 | +0.6pp |
| Australian | 9,129 | 22.1% | 21.3% | 8,873 | 23.0% | 22.5% | +256 | -0.9pp |
| Irish | 2,022 | 4.9% | 4.9% | 1,911 | 5.0% | 5.1% | +111 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 1,968 | 4.8% | 4.7% | 1,728 | 4.5% | 4.6% | +240 | +0.3pp |
| German | 708 | 1.7% | 1.7% | 642 | 1.7% | 1.7% | +66 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 697 | 1.7% | 2.7% | 36 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +661 | +1.6pp |
| Dutch | 488 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 469 | 1.2% | 1.0% | +19 | 0.0pp |
| Italian | 307 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 282 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +25 | 0.0pp |
| Chinese | 163 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 91 | 0.2% | 0.4% | +72 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 128 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 93 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +35 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 41,368 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 38,545 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +2,823 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).