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 Mount Cotton were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mount Cotton - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mount Cotton in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Redland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mount Cotton, with comparison markers for Redland (C).
English
2021 count
3,510
% of total
24.1%
Change from 2016
+0.9pp
3,510
24.1%
+0.9pp
Australian
2021 count
2,902
% of total
19.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
2,902
19.9%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
848
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
848
5.8%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
812
% of total
5.6%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
812
5.6%
-0.9pp
German
2021 count
496
% of total
3.4%
Change from 2016
-9.0pp
496
3.4%
-9.0pp
Italian
2021 count
201
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
-
201
1.4%
-
Dutch
2021 count
173
% of total
1.2%
Change from 2016
+0.6pp
173
1.2%
+0.6pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
151
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
151
1.0%
-
South African
2021 count
145
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
145
1.0%
-
New Zealander
2021 count
129
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
129
0.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3,388
+0.9pp
Australian
+2,797
-0.1pp
Scottish
+814
-0.7pp
Irish
+778
-0.9pp
German
+431
-9.0pp
Dutch
+170
+0.6pp
Polish
+54
-0.2pp
Greek
+44
-0.3pp
Spanish
+19
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mount Cotton. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Redland (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Redland (C)% | Count | % | Redland (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,510 | 24.1% | 22.5% | 122 | 23.2% | 22.7% | +3,388 | +0.9pp |
| Australian | 2,902 | 19.9% | 17.8% | 105 | 20.0% | 17.9% | +2,797 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 848 | 5.8% | 6.1% | 34 | 6.5% | 6.1% | +814 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 812 | 5.6% | 6.0% | 34 | 6.5% | 6.3% | +778 | -0.9pp |
| German | 496 | 3.4% | 3.0% | 65 | 12.4% | 3.2% | +431 | -9.0pp |
| Italian | 201 | 1.4% | 1.3% | - | - | 1.2% | - | - |
| Dutch | 173 | 1.2% | 1.1% | 3 | 0.6% | 1.0% | +170 | +0.6pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 151 | 1.0% | 1.4% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| South African | 145 | 1.0% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| New Zealander | 129 | 0.9% | 0.8% | - | - | 1.0% | - | - |
| Total | 14,562 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 525 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +14,037 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).