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 Aldinga were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Aldinga - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Aldinga in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Onkaparinga (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Aldinga, with comparison markers for Onkaparinga (C).
English
2021 count
346
% of total
23.2%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
346
23.2%
-1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
258
% of total
17.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
258
17.3%
+0.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
98
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
98
6.6%
+1.4pp
Irish
2021 count
89
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
89
6.0%
+1.4pp
German
2021 count
62
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
62
4.2%
0.0pp
Dutch
2021 count
30
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
30
2.0%
-0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
20
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
20
1.3%
-0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
13
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
13
0.9%
-0.4pp
Greek
2021 count
10
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
10
0.7%
-0.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+66
-1.3pp
Australian
+64
+0.3pp
Scottish
+39
+1.4pp
Irish
+36
+1.4pp
German
+14
0.0pp
Dutch
+6
-0.1pp
Italian
0
-0.5pp
Chinese
-2
-0.4pp
Greek
-6
-0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Aldinga. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Onkaparinga (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Onkaparinga (C)% | Count | % | Onkaparinga (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 346 | 23.2% | 24.2% | 280 | 24.5% | 23.9% | +66 | -1.3pp |
| Australian | 258 | 17.3% | 18.8% | 194 | 17.0% | 18.8% | +64 | +0.3pp |
| Scottish | 98 | 6.6% | 5.0% | 59 | 5.2% | 4.8% | +39 | +1.4pp |
| Irish | 89 | 6.0% | 4.2% | 53 | 4.6% | 4.3% | +36 | +1.4pp |
| German | 62 | 4.2% | 3.7% | 48 | 4.2% | 3.6% | +14 | 0.0pp |
| Dutch | 30 | 2.0% | 1.2% | 24 | 2.1% | 1.1% | +6 | -0.1pp |
| Italian | 20 | 1.3% | 1.4% | 20 | 1.8% | 1.3% | 0 | -0.5pp |
| Chinese | 13 | 0.9% | 0.5% | 15 | 1.3% | 0.5% | -2 | -0.4pp |
| Greek | 10 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 16 | 1.4% | 0.5% | -6 | -0.7pp |
| Total | 1,492 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1,142 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +350 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).