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 Harrington were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Harrington - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Harrington in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Harrington, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
English
2021 count
1,649
% of total
48.8%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
1,649
48.8%
+1.1pp
Australian
2021 count
1,389
% of total
41.1%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
1,389
41.1%
-1.1pp
Irish
2021 count
478
% of total
14.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
478
14.1%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
406
% of total
12.0%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
406
12.0%
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
136
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
136
4.0%
+3.4pp
German
2021 count
136
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
136
4.0%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
44
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
44
1.3%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
29
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
29
0.9%
+0.1pp
Maltese
2021 count
25
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
25
0.7%
-0.3pp
Spanish
2021 count
20
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
20
0.6%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+202
+1.1pp
Australian
+110
-1.1pp
Irish
+52
+0.1pp
Scottish
+34
-0.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+118
+3.4pp
German
+21
+0.2pp
Italian
+6
0.0pp
Dutch
+4
+0.1pp
Maltese
-6
-0.3pp
Spanish
+8
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Harrington. 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 | |
| English | 1,649 | 48.8% | 43.9% | 1,447 | 47.7% | 44.1% | +202 | +1.1pp |
| Australian | 1,389 | 41.1% | 42.4% | 1,279 | 42.2% | 45.1% | +110 | -1.1pp |
| Irish | 478 | 14.1% | 11.0% | 426 | 14.0% | 10.9% | +52 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 406 | 12.0% | 10.8% | 372 | 12.3% | 10.6% | +34 | -0.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 136 | 4.0% | 6.7% | 18 | 0.6% | 1.0% | +118 | +3.4pp |
| German | 136 | 4.0% | 3.8% | 115 | 3.8% | 3.9% | +21 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 44 | 1.3% | 1.7% | 38 | 1.3% | 1.5% | +6 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 29 | 0.9% | 1.2% | 25 | 0.8% | 1.2% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Maltese | 25 | 0.7% | 0.6% | 31 | 1.0% | 0.6% | -6 | -0.3pp |
| Spanish | 20 | 0.6% | 0.2% | 12 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +8 | +0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).