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 Upper Lansdowne were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Upper Lansdowne - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Upper Lansdowne in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Upper Lansdowne, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
English
2021 count
254
% of total
24.2%
Change from 2016
+4.5pp
254
24.2%
+4.5pp
Australian
2021 count
221
% of total
21.0%
Change from 2016
-4.7pp
221
21.0%
-4.7pp
Irish
2021 count
81
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
81
7.7%
+1.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
53
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
53
5.0%
-0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
29
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
+2.5pp
29
2.8%
+2.5pp
German
2021 count
24
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
24
2.3%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
18
% of total
1.7%
Change from 2016
+1.3pp
18
1.7%
+1.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
12
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
12
1.1%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-825
+4.5pp
Australian
-1,187
-4.7pp
Irish
-266
+1.4pp
Scottish
-266
-0.8pp
Australian Aboriginal
+10
+2.5pp
German
-132
-0.6pp
Italian
-5
+1.3pp
Dutch
-21
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Upper Lansdowne. 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 | 254 | 24.2% | 22.0% | 1,079 | 19.7% | 22.1% | -825 | +4.5pp |
| Australian | 221 | 21.0% | 21.2% | 1,408 | 25.7% | 22.6% | -1,187 | -4.7pp |
| Irish | 81 | 7.7% | 5.5% | 347 | 6.3% | 5.4% | -266 | +1.4pp |
| Scottish | 53 | 5.0% | 5.4% | 319 | 5.8% | 5.3% | -266 | -0.8pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 29 | 2.8% | 3.4% | 19 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +10 | +2.5pp |
| German | 24 | 2.3% | 1.9% | 156 | 2.9% | 2.0% | -132 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 18 | 1.7% | 0.8% | 23 | 0.4% | 0.8% | -5 | +1.3pp |
| Dutch | 12 | 1.1% | 0.6% | 33 | 0.6% | 0.6% | -21 | +0.5pp |
| Total | 1,051 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5,470 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -4,419 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).