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 Merredin were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Merredin - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Merredin in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Merredin (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Merredin, with comparison markers for Merredin (S).
Australian
2021 count
1,102
% of total
42.3%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
1,102
42.3%
-4.6pp
English
2021 count
1,058
% of total
40.6%
Change from 2016
+2.1pp
1,058
40.6%
+2.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
235
% of total
9.0%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
235
9.0%
+0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
198
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
198
7.6%
-1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
134
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+4.0pp
134
5.1%
+4.0pp
Italian
2021 count
132
% of total
5.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
132
5.1%
+0.4pp
German
2021 count
76
% of total
2.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
76
2.9%
-0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
39
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
39
1.5%
-0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
29
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
29
1.1%
+0.7pp
Filipino
2021 count
27
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
27
1.0%
-0.8pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-234
-4.6pp
English
-38
+2.1pp
Scottish
-2
+0.7pp
Irish
-47
-1.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
+103
+4.0pp
Italian
-3
+0.4pp
German
-11
-0.2pp
Dutch
-12
-0.3pp
Indian
+17
+0.7pp
Filipino
-23
-0.8pp
Data table
Ancestry for Merredin. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Merredin (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Merredin (S)% | Count | % | Merredin (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,102 | 42.3% | 41.6% | 1,336 | 46.9% | 46.5% | -234 | -4.6pp |
| English | 1,058 | 40.6% | 41.6% | 1,096 | 38.5% | 40.0% | -38 | +2.1pp |
| Scottish | 235 | 9.0% | 9.1% | 237 | 8.3% | 8.4% | -2 | +0.7pp |
| Irish | 198 | 7.6% | 7.3% | 245 | 8.6% | 8.1% | -47 | -1.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 134 | 5.1% | 4.6% | 31 | 1.1% | 0.9% | +103 | +4.0pp |
| Italian | 132 | 5.1% | 5.4% | 135 | 4.7% | 4.8% | -3 | +0.4pp |
| German | 76 | 2.9% | 3.1% | 87 | 3.1% | 3.2% | -11 | -0.2pp |
| Dutch | 39 | 1.5% | 1.5% | 51 | 1.8% | 1.7% | -12 | -0.3pp |
| Indian | 29 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 12 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +17 | +0.7pp |
| Filipino | 27 | 1.0% | 0.9% | 50 | 1.8% | 1.5% | -23 | -0.8pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).