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 Callington (part) were English, Australian and Scottish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Callington (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Callington (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Murray Bridge (RC) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Callington (part), with comparison markers for Murray Bridge (RC).

Callington (part)
Murray Bridge (RC)

English

2021 count

298

% of total

24.1%

Change from 2016

+3.6pp

Australian

2021 count

269

% of total

21.8%

Change from 2016

-0.8pp

Scottish

2021 count

75

% of total

6.1%

Change from 2016

+1.0pp

German

2021 count

58

% of total

4.7%

Change from 2016

-1.1pp

Irish

2021 count

49

% of total

4.0%

Change from 2016

+1.1pp

Australian Aboriginal

2021 count

21

% of total

1.7%

Change from 2016

+1.3pp

Dutch

2021 count

14

% of total

1.1%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

Italian

2021 count

12

% of total

1.0%

Change from 2016

-0.9pp

Data table

Ancestry for Callington (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Murray Bridge (RC).

Ancestry for Callington (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Murray Bridge (RC).
Ancestry for Callington (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Murray Bridge (RC).
Category20212016Change
Count%Murray Bridge (RC)%Count%Murray Bridge (RC)%Countpp
English29824.1%20.3%24820.5%19.6%+50+3.6pp
Australian26921.8%19.0%27322.6%19.2%-4-0.8pp
Scottish756.1%4.1%625.1%4.0%+13+1.0pp
German584.7%6.4%705.8%6.6%-12-1.1pp
Irish494.0%3.1%352.9%3.2%+14+1.1pp
Australian Aboriginal211.7%2.5%50.4%0.4%+16+1.3pp
Dutch141.1%0.7%141.2%0.7%0-0.1pp
Italian121.0%1.5%231.9%1.4%-11-0.9pp
Total1,235100.0%100.0%1,210100.0%100.0%+250.0pp

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