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 Hawks Nest were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Hawks Nest - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Hawks Nest in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Hawks Nest, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
English
2021 count
616
% of total
43.6%
Change from 2016
-4.5pp
616
43.6%
-4.5pp
Australian
2021 count
495
% of total
35.0%
Change from 2016
-2.4pp
495
35.0%
-2.4pp
Irish
2021 count
178
% of total
12.6%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
178
12.6%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
170
% of total
12.0%
Change from 2016
-2.3pp
170
12.0%
-2.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
80
% of total
5.7%
Change from 2016
+5.5pp
80
5.7%
+5.5pp
German
2021 count
54
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
54
3.8%
+0.9pp
Chinese
2021 count
17
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
17
1.2%
+0.3pp
Polish
2021 count
16
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
16
1.1%
-0.5pp
Austrian
2021 count
13
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
13
0.9%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
13
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
13
0.9%
-0.2pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+28
-4.5pp
Australian
+38
-2.4pp
Irish
+22
-0.2pp
Scottish
-5
-2.3pp
Australian Aboriginal
+77
+5.5pp
German
+19
+0.9pp
Chinese
+6
+0.3pp
Polish
-4
-0.5pp
Austrian
+4
+0.2pp
Italian
0
-0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for Hawks Nest. 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 | 616 | 43.6% | 43.9% | 588 | 48.1% | 44.1% | +28 | -4.5pp |
| Australian | 495 | 35.0% | 42.4% | 457 | 37.4% | 45.1% | +38 | -2.4pp |
| Irish | 178 | 12.6% | 11.0% | 156 | 12.8% | 10.9% | +22 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 170 | 12.0% | 10.8% | 175 | 14.3% | 10.6% | -5 | -2.3pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 80 | 5.7% | 6.7% | 3 | 0.2% | 1.0% | +77 | +5.5pp |
| German | 54 | 3.8% | 3.8% | 35 | 2.9% | 3.9% | +19 | +0.9pp |
| Chinese | 17 | 1.2% | 0.7% | 11 | 0.9% | 0.6% | +6 | +0.3pp |
| Polish | 16 | 1.1% | 0.4% | 20 | 1.6% | 0.4% | -4 | -0.5pp |
| Austrian | 13 | 0.9% | 0.2% | 9 | 0.7% | 0.2% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 13 | 0.9% | 1.7% | 13 | 1.1% | 1.5% | 0 | -0.2pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).