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 Para Vista were English, Australian and Scottish.

Section overview

Ancestry - Ranked by size

Para Vista - Total persons (Usual residence)

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

Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Para Vista, with comparison markers for Salisbury (C).

Para Vista
Salisbury (C)

English

2021 count

1,026

% of total

17.1%

Change from 2016

+1.4pp

Australian

2021 count

858

% of total

14.3%

Change from 2016

-8.2pp

Scottish

2021 count

205

% of total

3.4%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

German

2021 count

202

% of total

3.4%

Change from 2016

-1.3pp

Irish

2021 count

198

% of total

3.3%

Change from 2016

+2.1pp

Italian

2021 count

176

% of total

2.9%

Change from 2016

-

Indian

2021 count

164

% of total

2.7%

Change from 2016

-

Australian Aboriginal

2021 count

86

% of total

1.4%

Change from 2016

-

Chinese

2021 count

67

% of total

1.1%

Change from 2016

+0.2pp

Filipino

2021 count

49

% of total

0.8%

Change from 2016

-

Data table

Ancestry for Para Vista. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).

Ancestry for Para Vista. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).
Ancestry for Para Vista. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Salisbury (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Salisbury (C)%Count%Salisbury (C)%Countpp
English1,02617.1%15.4%6715.7%16.6%+959+1.4pp
Australian85814.3%13.5%9622.5%14.6%+762-8.2pp
Scottish2053.4%2.8%133.0%3.1%+192+0.4pp
German2023.4%2.5%204.7%2.9%+182-1.3pp
Irish1983.3%2.6%51.2%3.0%+193+2.1pp
Italian1762.9%2.4%--2.6%--
Indian1642.7%2.0%--1.6%--
Australian Aboriginal861.4%1.1%--0.2%--
Chinese671.1%1.4%40.9%1.5%+63+0.2pp
Filipino490.8%1.3%--1.0%--
Total6,011100.0%100.0%427100.0%100.0%+5,5840.0pp

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