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 Eyre were English, Australian and Scottish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Eyre - Total persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises ancestry for Eyre in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Playford (C) and change since 2016.

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Eyre, with comparison markers for Playford (C).

Eyre
Playford (C)

English

2021 count

441

% of total

19.8%

Change from 2016

+6.9pp

Australian

2021 count

379

% of total

17.0%

Change from 2016

+5.2pp

Scottish

2021 count

108

% of total

4.8%

Change from 2016

+1.6pp

Irish

2021 count

75

% of total

3.4%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

German

2021 count

60

% of total

2.7%

Change from 2016

-0.2pp

Italian

2021 count

38

% of total

1.7%

Change from 2016

-7.4pp

Filipino

2021 count

38

% of total

1.7%

Change from 2016

+1.3pp

Khmer (Cambodian)

2021 count

27

% of total

1.2%

Change from 2016

+1.1pp

Indian

2021 count

27

% of total

1.2%

Change from 2016

+0.2pp

Australian Aboriginal

2021 count

26

% of total

1.2%

Change from 2016

+1.1pp

Data table

Ancestry for Eyre. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Playford (C).

Ancestry for Eyre. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Playford (C).
Ancestry for Eyre. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Playford (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Playford (C)%Count%Playford (C)%Countpp
English44119.8%20.8%59312.9%21.6%-152+6.9pp
Australian37917.0%17.8%54411.8%18.5%-165+5.2pp
Scottish1084.8%3.8%1453.2%4.1%-37+1.6pp
Irish753.4%3.1%1503.3%3.5%-75+0.1pp
German602.7%2.9%1332.9%2.9%-73-0.2pp
Italian381.7%2.0%4219.1%1.9%-383-7.4pp
Filipino381.7%0.7%190.4%0.5%+19+1.3pp
Khmer (Cambodian)271.2%0.3%30.1%0.3%+24+1.1pp
Indian271.2%0.4%441.0%0.3%-17+0.2pp
Australian Aboriginal261.2%2.0%30.1%0.3%+23+1.1pp
Total2,228100.0%100.0%4,602100.0%100.0%-2,3740.0pp

Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).