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 Reynella East were English, Australian and German.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Reynella East - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Reynella East in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Onkaparinga (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Reynella East, with comparison markers for Onkaparinga (C).
English
2021 count
988
% of total
49.6%
Change from 2016
+1.0pp
988
49.6%
+1.0pp
Australian
2021 count
729
% of total
36.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
729
36.6%
0.0pp
German
2021 count
194
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
194
9.7%
+1.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
190
% of total
9.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
190
9.5%
+0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
174
% of total
8.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
174
8.7%
+0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
60
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
60
3.0%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
47
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
47
2.4%
+0.6pp
Polish
2021 count
40
% of total
2.0%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
40
2.0%
+0.8pp
Welsh
2021 count
25
% of total
1.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
25
1.3%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
21
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
-
21
1.1%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+9
+1.0pp
Australian
-8
0.0pp
German
+21
+1.1pp
Scottish
+1
+0.1pp
Irish
0
+0.1pp
Dutch
+3
+0.2pp
Italian
+11
+0.6pp
Polish
+15
+0.8pp
Welsh
-2
0.0pp
French
-1
0.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Reynella East. 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 | 988 | 49.6% | 48.5% | 979 | 48.6% | 47.8% | +9 | +1.0pp |
| Australian | 729 | 36.6% | 37.7% | 737 | 36.6% | 37.5% | -8 | 0.0pp |
| German | 194 | 9.7% | 7.4% | 173 | 8.6% | 7.2% | +21 | +1.1pp |
| Scottish | 190 | 9.5% | 10.0% | 189 | 9.4% | 9.6% | +1 | +0.1pp |
| Irish | 174 | 8.7% | 8.5% | 174 | 8.6% | 8.7% | 0 | +0.1pp |
| Dutch | 60 | 3.0% | 2.4% | 57 | 2.8% | 2.2% | +3 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 47 | 2.4% | 2.9% | 36 | 1.8% | 2.7% | +11 | +0.6pp |
| Polish | 40 | 2.0% | 1.2% | 25 | 1.2% | 1.1% | +15 | +0.8pp |
| Welsh | 25 | 1.3% | 1.1% | 27 | 1.3% | 1.0% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 21 | 1.1% | 1.9% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).