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 Cundletown were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cundletown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cundletown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cundletown, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
Australian
2021 count
959
% of total
23.4%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
959
23.4%
-2.4pp
English
2021 count
875
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
+4.7pp
875
21.4%
+4.7pp
Irish
2021 count
244
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
244
6.0%
-1.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
179
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-6.2pp
179
4.4%
-6.2pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
166
% of total
4.1%
Change from 2016
-
166
4.1%
-
German
2021 count
74
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
74
1.8%
-
Italian
2021 count
22
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
-
22
0.5%
-
Lebanese
2021 count
16
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
16
0.4%
-
Dutch
2021 count
14
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
14
0.3%
-
Norwegian
2021 count
11
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
11
0.3%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+942
-2.4pp
English
+864
+4.7pp
Irish
+239
-1.6pp
Scottish
+172
-6.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cundletown. 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 | 959 | 23.4% | 21.2% | 17 | 25.8% | 22.6% | +942 | -2.4pp |
| English | 875 | 21.4% | 22.0% | 11 | 16.7% | 22.1% | +864 | +4.7pp |
| Irish | 244 | 6.0% | 5.5% | 5 | 7.6% | 5.4% | +239 | -1.6pp |
| Scottish | 179 | 4.4% | 5.4% | 7 | 10.6% | 5.3% | +172 | -6.2pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 166 | 4.1% | 3.4% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| German | 74 | 1.8% | 1.9% | - | - | 2.0% | - | - |
| Italian | 22 | 0.5% | 0.8% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Lebanese | 16 | 0.4% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Dutch | 14 | 0.3% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Norwegian | 11 | 0.3% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Total | 4,090 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 66 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +4,024 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).