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 Mornington (S) were Australian Aboriginal, English and Australian.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mornington (S) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mornington (S) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mornington (S), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
785
% of total
38.5%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
785
38.5%
-0.4pp
English
2021 count
64
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
64
3.1%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
41
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-2.5pp
41
2.0%
-2.5pp
Irish
2021 count
22
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
22
1.1%
0.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
20
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
20
1.0%
+0.4pp
Papua New Guinean
2021 count
12
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
12
0.6%
+0.4pp
Maori
2021 count
11
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
11
0.5%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian Aboriginal
-100
-0.4pp
English
+14
+0.9pp
Australian
-61
-2.5pp
Irish
-4
0.0pp
Scottish
+7
+0.4pp
Papua New Guinean
+8
+0.4pp
Maori
+8
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mornington (S). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Australian Aboriginal | 785 | 38.5% | 2.6% | 885 | 38.9% | 0.6% | -100 | -0.4pp |
| English | 64 | 3.1% | 19.8% | 50 | 2.2% | 19.6% | +14 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 41 | 2.0% | 17.7% | 102 | 4.5% | 18.8% | -61 | -2.5pp |
| Irish | 22 | 1.1% | 5.5% | 26 | 1.1% | 5.9% | -4 | 0.0pp |
| Scottish | 20 | 1.0% | 5.2% | 13 | 0.6% | 5.2% | +7 | +0.4pp |
| Papua New Guinean | 12 | 0.6% | 0.1% | 4 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +8 | +0.4pp |
| Maori | 11 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 3 | 0.1% | 0.5% | +8 | +0.4pp |
| Total | 2,040 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2,277 | 100.0% | 100.0% | -237 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).