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 Cherry Gardens were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Cherry Gardens - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Cherry Gardens in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Onkaparinga (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cherry Gardens, with comparison markers for Onkaparinga (C).
English
2021 count
300
% of total
47.4%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
300
47.4%
-1.5pp
Australian
2021 count
255
% of total
40.3%
Change from 2016
-2.2pp
255
40.3%
-2.2pp
Irish
2021 count
59
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
59
9.3%
+0.6pp
Scottish
2021 count
58
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
58
9.2%
-0.8pp
German
2021 count
52
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
52
8.2%
-0.2pp
Dutch
2021 count
17
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
17
2.7%
+0.9pp
Italian
2021 count
10
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
10
1.6%
-1.7pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+2
-1.5pp
Australian
-4
-2.2pp
Irish
+6
+0.6pp
Scottish
-3
-0.8pp
German
+1
-0.2pp
Dutch
+6
+0.9pp
Italian
-10
-1.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Cherry Gardens. 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 | 300 | 47.4% | 48.5% | 298 | 48.9% | 47.8% | +2 | -1.5pp |
| Australian | 255 | 40.3% | 37.7% | 259 | 42.5% | 37.5% | -4 | -2.2pp |
| Irish | 59 | 9.3% | 8.5% | 53 | 8.7% | 8.7% | +6 | +0.6pp |
| Scottish | 58 | 9.2% | 10.0% | 61 | 10.0% | 9.6% | -3 | -0.8pp |
| German | 52 | 8.2% | 7.4% | 51 | 8.4% | 7.2% | +1 | -0.2pp |
| Dutch | 17 | 2.7% | 2.4% | 11 | 1.8% | 2.2% | +6 | +0.9pp |
| Italian | 10 | 1.6% | 2.9% | 20 | 3.3% | 2.7% | -10 | -1.7pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).