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 Mount Barker Summit were English, Australian and Scottish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Mount Barker Summit - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Mount Barker Summit in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mount Barker (DC) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Mount Barker Summit, with comparison markers for Mount Barker (DC).

Mount Barker Summit
Mount Barker (DC)

English

2021 count

48

% of total

24.7%

Change from 2016

+2.1pp

Australian

2021 count

47

% of total

24.2%

Change from 2016

+5.2pp

Scottish

2021 count

12

% of total

6.2%

Change from 2016

+0.2pp

German

2021 count

12

% of total

6.2%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

Irish

2021 count

11

% of total

5.7%

Change from 2016

+2.5pp

Data table

Ancestry for Mount Barker Summit. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).

Ancestry for Mount Barker Summit. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).
Ancestry for Mount Barker Summit. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mount Barker (DC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Mount Barker (DC)%Count%Mount Barker (DC)%Countpp
English4824.7%23.5%5722.6%23.0%-9+2.1pp
Australian4724.2%20.1%4819.0%20.7%-1+5.2pp
Scottish126.2%5.2%156.0%4.9%-3+0.2pp
German126.2%5.9%166.3%5.9%-4-0.1pp
Irish115.7%4.5%83.2%4.2%+3+2.5pp
Total194100.0%100.0%252100.0%100.0%-580.0pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).