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 Sheldon were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sheldon - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sheldon in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Redland (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sheldon, with comparison markers for Redland (C).
English
2021 count
758
% of total
43.0%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
758
43.0%
-1.3pp
Australian
2021 count
687
% of total
39.0%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
687
39.0%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
210
% of total
11.9%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
210
11.9%
-0.7pp
Irish
2021 count
204
% of total
11.6%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
204
11.6%
-1.7pp
German
2021 count
106
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
106
6.0%
-0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
45
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
45
2.6%
-0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
39
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
39
2.2%
0.0pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
34
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-
34
1.9%
-
Chinese
2021 count
31
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
31
1.8%
+0.8pp
Welsh
2021 count
24
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
24
1.4%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+3
-1.3pp
Australian
+21
-0.1pp
Scottish
-4
-0.7pp
Irish
-23
-1.7pp
German
-4
-0.5pp
Dutch
-3
-0.2pp
Italian
+1
0.0pp
Chinese
+14
+0.8pp
Welsh
+6
+0.3pp
Maori
+9
+0.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sheldon. 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 | 758 | 43.0% | 45.1% | 755 | 44.3% | 45.4% | +3 | -1.3pp |
| Australian | 687 | 39.0% | 35.5% | 666 | 39.1% | 35.7% | +21 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 210 | 11.9% | 12.2% | 214 | 12.6% | 12.2% | -4 | -0.7pp |
| Irish | 204 | 11.6% | 12.1% | 227 | 13.3% | 12.7% | -23 | -1.7pp |
| German | 106 | 6.0% | 6.0% | 110 | 6.5% | 6.3% | -4 | -0.5pp |
| Dutch | 45 | 2.6% | 2.2% | 48 | 2.8% | 2.0% | -3 | -0.2pp |
| Italian | 39 | 2.2% | 2.5% | 38 | 2.2% | 2.4% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 34 | 1.9% | 2.8% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Chinese | 31 | 1.8% | 1.5% | 17 | 1.0% | 1.2% | +14 | +0.8pp |
| Welsh | 24 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 18 | 1.1% | 0.9% | +6 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).