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 Coopernook were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Coopernook - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Coopernook in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Coopernook, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
Australian
2021 count
337
% of total
53.9%
Change from 2016
+3.3pp
337
53.9%
+3.3pp
English
2021 count
254
% of total
40.6%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
254
40.6%
-2.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
66
% of total
10.6%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
66
10.6%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
65
% of total
10.4%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
65
10.4%
+2.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
47
% of total
7.5%
Change from 2016
-
47
7.5%
-
German
2021 count
21
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
21
3.4%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
14
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
14
2.2%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+65
+3.3pp
English
+25
-2.0pp
Scottish
+5
-0.7pp
Irish
+24
+2.8pp
German
+7
+0.8pp
Italian
0
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Coopernook. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 337 | 53.9% | 42.4% | 272 | 50.6% | 45.1% | +65 | +3.3pp |
| English | 254 | 40.6% | 43.9% | 229 | 42.6% | 44.1% | +25 | -2.0pp |
| Scottish | 66 | 10.6% | 10.8% | 61 | 11.3% | 10.6% | +5 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 65 | 10.4% | 11.0% | 41 | 7.6% | 10.9% | +24 | +2.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 47 | 7.5% | 6.7% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| German | 21 | 3.4% | 3.8% | 14 | 2.6% | 3.9% | +7 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 14 | 2.2% | 1.7% | 14 | 2.6% | 1.5% | 0 | -0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).