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 Sunshine Beach were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sunshine Beach - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sunshine Beach in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Noosa (S) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sunshine Beach, with comparison markers for Noosa (S).
English
2021 count
1,154
% of total
46.5%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
1,154
46.5%
+2.3pp
Australian
2021 count
658
% of total
26.5%
Change from 2016
-3.3pp
658
26.5%
-3.3pp
Irish
2021 count
402
% of total
16.2%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
402
16.2%
+0.8pp
Scottish
2021 count
347
% of total
14.0%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
347
14.0%
+0.9pp
German
2021 count
176
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
176
7.1%
+0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
99
% of total
4.0%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
99
4.0%
+0.6pp
French
2021 count
59
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
59
2.4%
+0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
46
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
46
1.9%
-0.1pp
Welsh
2021 count
31
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
31
1.3%
0.0pp
New Zealander
2021 count
27
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
27
1.1%
-0.6pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+66
+2.3pp
Australian
-76
-3.3pp
Irish
+23
+0.8pp
Scottish
+24
+0.9pp
German
+15
+0.6pp
Italian
+16
+0.6pp
French
+12
+0.5pp
Dutch
-3
-0.1pp
Welsh
-2
0.0pp
New Zealander
-15
-0.6pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sunshine Beach. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Noosa (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Noosa (S)% | Count | % | Noosa (S)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,154 | 46.5% | 46.3% | 1,088 | 44.2% | 46.3% | +66 | +2.3pp |
| Australian | 658 | 26.5% | 33.1% | 734 | 29.8% | 33.9% | -76 | -3.3pp |
| Irish | 402 | 16.2% | 13.5% | 379 | 15.4% | 13.7% | +23 | +0.8pp |
| Scottish | 347 | 14.0% | 13.3% | 323 | 13.1% | 12.9% | +24 | +0.9pp |
| German | 176 | 7.1% | 6.3% | 161 | 6.5% | 6.4% | +15 | +0.6pp |
| Italian | 99 | 4.0% | 2.8% | 83 | 3.4% | 2.4% | +16 | +0.6pp |
| French | 59 | 2.4% | 1.2% | 47 | 1.9% | 1.0% | +12 | +0.5pp |
| Dutch | 46 | 1.9% | 2.0% | 49 | 2.0% | 2.0% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| Welsh | 31 | 1.3% | 0.9% | 33 | 1.3% | 0.9% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| New Zealander | 27 | 1.1% | 1.2% | 42 | 1.7% | 1.2% | -15 | -0.6pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).