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 Elizabeth North were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Elizabeth North - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Elizabeth North in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Playford (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Elizabeth North, with comparison markers for Playford (C).
English
2021 count
1,496
% of total
41.7%
Change from 2016
-1.1pp
1,496
41.7%
-1.1pp
Australian
2021 count
1,231
% of total
34.3%
Change from 2016
-2.1pp
1,231
34.3%
-2.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
276
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
276
7.7%
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
220
% of total
6.1%
Change from 2016
+5.3pp
220
6.1%
+5.3pp
German
2021 count
213
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
213
5.9%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
212
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
212
5.9%
-1.6pp
Italian
2021 count
94
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
94
2.6%
-0.3pp
Dutch
2021 count
36
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
36
1.0%
-0.5pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
32
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
32
0.9%
+0.4pp
Indian
2021 count
30
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
30
0.8%
+0.5pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+15
-1.1pp
Australian
-28
-2.1pp
Scottish
-7
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+193
+5.3pp
German
+15
+0.2pp
Irish
-48
-1.6pp
Italian
-7
-0.3pp
Dutch
-15
-0.5pp
Vietnamese
+16
+0.4pp
Indian
+20
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Elizabeth North. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Playford (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Playford (C)% | Count | % | Playford (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 1,496 | 41.7% | 41.6% | 1,481 | 42.8% | 43.2% | +15 | -1.1pp |
| Australian | 1,231 | 34.3% | 35.6% | 1,259 | 36.4% | 36.9% | -28 | -2.1pp |
| Scottish | 276 | 7.7% | 7.6% | 283 | 8.2% | 8.2% | -7 | -0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 220 | 6.1% | 4.0% | 27 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +193 | +5.3pp |
| German | 213 | 5.9% | 5.7% | 198 | 5.7% | 5.9% | +15 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 212 | 5.9% | 6.2% | 260 | 7.5% | 7.0% | -48 | -1.6pp |
| Italian | 94 | 2.6% | 4.0% | 101 | 2.9% | 3.8% | -7 | -0.3pp |
| Dutch | 36 | 1.0% | 1.7% | 51 | 1.5% | 1.6% | -15 | -0.5pp |
| Vietnamese | 32 | 0.9% | 1.0% | 16 | 0.5% | 1.0% | +16 | +0.4pp |
| Indian | 30 | 0.8% | 0.9% | 10 | 0.3% | 0.7% | +20 | +0.5pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).