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 Belair (part) were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Belair (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Belair (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mitcham (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Belair (part), with comparison markers for Mitcham (C).
English
2021 count
2,219
% of total
47.0%
Change from 2016
-1.4pp
2,219
47.0%
-1.4pp
Australian
2021 count
1,703
% of total
36.1%
Change from 2016
+3.0pp
1,703
36.1%
+3.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
621
% of total
13.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
621
13.2%
+0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
506
% of total
10.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
506
10.7%
-0.4pp
German
2021 count
406
% of total
8.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
406
8.6%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
121
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
121
2.6%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
110
% of total
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
110
2.3%
+0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
105
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
105
2.2%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
73
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
73
1.5%
+0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
54
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
54
1.1%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+82
-1.4pp
Australian
+244
+3.0pp
Scottish
+53
+0.3pp
Irish
+16
-0.4pp
German
+23
-0.1pp
Italian
-21
-0.6pp
Chinese
+25
+0.4pp
Dutch
+23
+0.3pp
Greek
+11
+0.1pp
Welsh
+9
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Belair (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mitcham (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mitcham (C)% | Count | % | Mitcham (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,219 | 47.0% | 42.1% | 2,137 | 48.4% | 41.5% | +82 | -1.4pp |
| Australian | 1,703 | 36.1% | 33.7% | 1,459 | 33.1% | 33.3% | +244 | +3.0pp |
| Scottish | 621 | 13.2% | 10.6% | 568 | 12.9% | 10.2% | +53 | +0.3pp |
| Irish | 506 | 10.7% | 9.5% | 490 | 11.1% | 10.0% | +16 | -0.4pp |
| German | 406 | 8.6% | 8.3% | 383 | 8.7% | 8.1% | +23 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 121 | 2.6% | 4.5% | 142 | 3.2% | 4.0% | -21 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 110 | 2.3% | 4.3% | 85 | 1.9% | 4.0% | +25 | +0.4pp |
| Dutch | 105 | 2.2% | 1.9% | 82 | 1.9% | 1.7% | +23 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 73 | 1.5% | 3.5% | 62 | 1.4% | 3.5% | +11 | +0.1pp |
| Welsh | 54 | 1.1% | 0.9% | 45 | 1.0% | 0.8% | +9 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).