Cultural diversity
Language used at home
About this topic
Language used at home shows which languages people speak in their home life and whether English or another language is used most often. It is a key indicator of cultural diversity and language retention within communities.
This topic is useful for planning communication, multicultural services, and local engagement. It should be analysed together with proficiency in English and birthplace, because language alone does not show migration history or support needs.
Interpretation notes
- The Census records the language used most often at home, so it does not capture every language a person can speak.
- Language used at home is not a measure of English proficiency, literacy, or migration history on its own.
Key insight
In 2021, English was the most common language used at home among residents in Thornlands, accounting for 88.5% (17,009 people). This share was lower than Redland (C) (88.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in English, which increased by 17,004 people, while its share fell by 11.5 percentage points.
Section overview
Language used at home - Ranked by size
Thornlands - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises language used at home for Thornlands in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Redland (C) and change since 2016.
Language used at home - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Thornlands, with comparison markers for Redland (C).
English
2021 count
17,009
% of total
88.5%
Change from 2016
-11.5pp
17,009
88.5%
-11.5pp
Not stated
2021 count
530
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
530
2.8%
-
Afrikaans
2021 count
178
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
178
0.9%
-
Punjabi
2021 count
166
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
-
166
0.9%
-
Mandarin
2021 count
113
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-
113
0.6%
-
Spanish
2021 count
86
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
86
0.4%
-
Tagalog
2021 count
78
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
78
0.4%
-
Finnish
2021 count
68
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-
68
0.4%
-
German
2021 count
63
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
63
0.3%
-
Filipino
2021 count
49
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
-
49
0.3%
-
Chart view
Language used at home - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+17,004
-11.5pp
Data table
Language used at home for Thornlands. Language used at home - 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 | 17,009 | 88.5% | 88.9% | 5 | 100.0% | 88.9% | +17,004 | -11.5pp |
| Not stated | 530 | 2.8% | 3.6% | - | - | 4.4% | - | - |
| Afrikaans | 178 | 0.9% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Punjabi | 166 | 0.9% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Mandarin | 113 | 0.6% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Spanish | 86 | 0.4% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
| Tagalog | 78 | 0.4% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| Finnish | 68 | 0.4% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.2% | - | - |
| German | 63 | 0.3% | 0.3% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Filipino | 49 | 0.3% | 0.2% | - | - | 0.1% | - | - |
| Total | 19,219 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 5 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +19,214 | 0.0pp |
Excludes languages spoken at home by fewer than 10 people.