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 Rainbow Flat were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Rainbow Flat - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Rainbow Flat in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Rainbow Flat, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
English
2021 count
343
% of total
25.1%
Change from 2016
+4.8pp
343
25.1%
+4.8pp
Australian
2021 count
289
% of total
21.2%
Change from 2016
-4.1pp
289
21.2%
-4.1pp
Irish
2021 count
83
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
83
6.1%
-0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
51
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
51
3.7%
+1.5pp
German
2021 count
32
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
32
2.3%
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
27
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
27
2.0%
+1.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
24
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-
24
1.8%
-
Italian
2021 count
14
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
14
1.0%
+0.1pp
Chinese
2021 count
11
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
11
0.8%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+278
+4.8pp
Australian
+208
-4.1pp
Irish
+63
-0.2pp
Scottish
+44
+1.5pp
German
+27
+0.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
+24
+1.1pp
Italian
+11
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Rainbow Flat. 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 | 343 | 25.1% | 22.0% | 65 | 20.3% | 22.1% | +278 | +4.8pp |
| Australian | 289 | 21.2% | 21.2% | 81 | 25.3% | 22.6% | +208 | -4.1pp |
| Irish | 83 | 6.1% | 5.5% | 20 | 6.3% | 5.4% | +63 | -0.2pp |
| Scottish | 51 | 3.7% | 5.4% | 7 | 2.2% | 5.3% | +44 | +1.5pp |
| German | 32 | 2.3% | 1.9% | 5 | 1.6% | 2.0% | +27 | +0.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 27 | 2.0% | 3.4% | 3 | 0.9% | 0.5% | +24 | +1.1pp |
| Dutch | 24 | 1.8% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
| Italian | 14 | 1.0% | 0.8% | 3 | 0.9% | 0.8% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Chinese | 11 | 0.8% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Total | 1,366 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 320 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +1,046 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).