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 McLaren Vale were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
McLaren Vale - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for McLaren Vale in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Onkaparinga (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for McLaren Vale, with comparison markers for Onkaparinga (C).
English
2021 count
2,191
% of total
54.0%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
2,191
54.0%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
1,334
% of total
32.8%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,334
32.8%
-1.3pp
Scottish
2021 count
499
% of total
12.3%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
499
12.3%
+1.6pp
Irish
2021 count
377
% of total
9.3%
Change from 2016
+1.5pp
377
9.3%
+1.5pp
German
2021 count
309
% of total
7.6%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
309
7.6%
+0.5pp
Italian
2021 count
189
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
189
4.7%
-0.4pp
Dutch
2021 count
82
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
82
2.0%
-0.2pp
Welsh
2021 count
43
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
43
1.1%
+0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
31
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
31
0.8%
+0.3pp
Greek
2021 count
29
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
29
0.7%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+149
+0.9pp
Australian
+23
-1.3pp
Scottish
+87
+1.6pp
Irish
+78
+1.5pp
German
+36
+0.5pp
Italian
-7
-0.4pp
Dutch
-2
-0.2pp
Welsh
+6
+0.1pp
Polish
+10
+0.3pp
Greek
+6
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for McLaren Vale. 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 | 2,191 | 54.0% | 48.5% | 2,042 | 53.1% | 47.8% | +149 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 1,334 | 32.8% | 37.7% | 1,311 | 34.1% | 37.5% | +23 | -1.3pp |
| Scottish | 499 | 12.3% | 10.0% | 412 | 10.7% | 9.6% | +87 | +1.6pp |
| Irish | 377 | 9.3% | 8.5% | 299 | 7.8% | 8.7% | +78 | +1.5pp |
| German | 309 | 7.6% | 7.4% | 273 | 7.1% | 7.2% | +36 | +0.5pp |
| Italian | 189 | 4.7% | 2.9% | 196 | 5.1% | 2.7% | -7 | -0.4pp |
| Dutch | 82 | 2.0% | 2.4% | 84 | 2.2% | 2.2% | -2 | -0.2pp |
| Welsh | 43 | 1.1% | 1.1% | 37 | 1.0% | 1.0% | +6 | +0.1pp |
| Polish | 31 | 0.8% | 1.2% | 21 | 0.5% | 1.1% | +10 | +0.3pp |
| Greek | 29 | 0.7% | 1.0% | 23 | 0.6% | 1.0% | +6 | +0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).