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 Mawson Lakes were English, Australian and Chinese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Mawson Lakes - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Mawson Lakes in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Salisbury (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mawson Lakes, with comparison markers for Salisbury (C).
English
2021 count
3,538
% of total
25.6%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
3,538
25.6%
-1.2pp
Australian
2021 count
2,956
% of total
21.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
2,956
21.4%
-0.6pp
Chinese
2021 count
1,273
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
-1.2pp
1,273
9.2%
-1.2pp
Indian
2021 count
1,056
% of total
7.7%
Change from 2016
+1.2pp
1,056
7.7%
+1.2pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
746
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
746
5.4%
+0.2pp
Scottish
2021 count
727
% of total
5.3%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
727
5.3%
-0.3pp
Irish
2021 count
654
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
654
4.7%
-0.6pp
Italian
2021 count
646
% of total
4.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
646
4.7%
-0.1pp
German
2021 count
621
% of total
4.5%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
621
4.5%
-0.3pp
Filipino
2021 count
334
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
334
2.4%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-30
-1.2pp
Australian
+25
-0.6pp
Chinese
-113
-1.2pp
Indian
+186
+1.2pp
Vietnamese
+60
+0.2pp
Scottish
-16
-0.3pp
Irish
-48
-0.6pp
Italian
+5
-0.1pp
German
-19
-0.3pp
Filipino
+56
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Mawson Lakes. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Salisbury (C)% | Count | % | Salisbury (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 3,538 | 25.6% | 30.8% | 3,568 | 26.8% | 33.2% | -30 | -1.2pp |
| Australian | 2,956 | 21.4% | 27.0% | 2,931 | 22.0% | 29.3% | +25 | -0.6pp |
| Chinese | 1,273 | 9.2% | 2.8% | 1,386 | 10.4% | 3.0% | -113 | -1.2pp |
| Indian | 1,056 | 7.7% | 4.0% | 870 | 6.5% | 3.1% | +186 | +1.2pp |
| Vietnamese | 746 | 5.4% | 3.9% | 686 | 5.2% | 4.1% | +60 | +0.2pp |
| Scottish | 727 | 5.3% | 5.6% | 743 | 5.6% | 6.2% | -16 | -0.3pp |
| Irish | 654 | 4.7% | 5.1% | 702 | 5.3% | 6.0% | -48 | -0.6pp |
| Italian | 646 | 4.7% | 4.8% | 641 | 4.8% | 5.2% | +5 | -0.1pp |
| German | 621 | 4.5% | 5.1% | 640 | 4.8% | 5.8% | -19 | -0.3pp |
| Filipino | 334 | 2.4% | 2.5% | 278 | 2.1% | 2.1% | +56 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).