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 North Arm Cove were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
North Arm Cove - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for North Arm Cove in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for North Arm Cove, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
English
2021 count
242
% of total
22.1%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
242
22.1%
+2.3pp
Australian
2021 count
198
% of total
18.1%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
198
18.1%
-0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
59
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-3.4pp
59
5.4%
-3.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
57
% of total
5.2%
Change from 2016
-4.4pp
57
5.2%
-4.4pp
German
2021 count
31
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
31
2.8%
-0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
25
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-
25
2.3%
-
Greek
2021 count
18
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-
18
1.6%
-
Italian
2021 count
10
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
10
0.9%
-1.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+168
+2.3pp
Australian
+129
-0.3pp
Irish
+26
-3.4pp
Scottish
+21
-4.4pp
German
+18
-0.7pp
Italian
+3
-1.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for North Arm Cove. 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 | 242 | 22.1% | 22.0% | 74 | 19.8% | 22.1% | +168 | +2.3pp |
| Australian | 198 | 18.1% | 21.2% | 69 | 18.4% | 22.6% | +129 | -0.3pp |
| Irish | 59 | 5.4% | 5.5% | 33 | 8.8% | 5.4% | +26 | -3.4pp |
| Scottish | 57 | 5.2% | 5.4% | 36 | 9.6% | 5.3% | +21 | -4.4pp |
| German | 31 | 2.8% | 1.9% | 13 | 3.5% | 2.0% | +18 | -0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 25 | 2.3% | 3.4% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Greek | 18 | 1.6% | 0.2% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Italian | 10 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 7 | 1.9% | 0.8% | +3 | -1.0pp |
| Total | 1,095 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 374 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +721 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).