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 Sorell (M) were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Sorell (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Sorell (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Hobart and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Sorell (M), with comparison markers for Greater Hobart.
English
2021 count
7,740
% of total
23.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
7,740
23.2%
-0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
7,202
% of total
21.5%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
7,202
21.5%
-1.7pp
Irish
2021 count
1,807
% of total
5.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,807
5.4%
-0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,590
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,590
4.8%
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
725
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
725
2.2%
+2.0pp
German
2021 count
649
% of total
1.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
649
1.9%
-0.1pp
Dutch
2021 count
263
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
263
0.8%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
207
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
207
0.6%
+0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
110
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
110
0.3%
0.0pp
New Zealander
2021 count
95
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
95
0.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+1,021
-0.1pp
Australian
+534
-1.7pp
Irish
+211
-0.1pp
Scottish
+250
+0.1pp
Australian Aboriginal
+681
+2.0pp
German
+86
-0.1pp
Dutch
+62
+0.1pp
Italian
+49
+0.1pp
Polish
+33
0.0pp
New Zealander
+30
+0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Sorell (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Hobart.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Hobart% | Count | % | Greater Hobart% | Count | pp | |
| English | 7,740 | 23.2% | 21.3% | 6,719 | 23.3% | 22.2% | +1,021 | -0.1pp |
| Australian | 7,202 | 21.5% | 18.8% | 6,668 | 23.2% | 20.4% | +534 | -1.7pp |
| Irish | 1,807 | 5.4% | 5.3% | 1,596 | 5.5% | 5.9% | +211 | -0.1pp |
| Scottish | 1,590 | 4.8% | 4.7% | 1,340 | 4.7% | 4.7% | +250 | +0.1pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 725 | 2.2% | 2.0% | 44 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +681 | +2.0pp |
| German | 649 | 1.9% | 1.8% | 563 | 2.0% | 1.9% | +86 | -0.1pp |
| Dutch | 263 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 201 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +62 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 207 | 0.6% | 0.9% | 158 | 0.5% | 0.9% | +49 | +0.1pp |
| Polish | 110 | 0.3% | 0.5% | 77 | 0.3% | 0.5% | +33 | 0.0pp |
| New Zealander | 95 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 65 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +30 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 33,421 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 28,797 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +4,624 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).