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 Elbow Valley were English, Australian and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Elbow Valley - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Elbow Valley in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Southern Downs (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Elbow Valley, with comparison markers for Southern Downs (R).
English
2021 count
60
% of total
47.2%
Change from 2016
+8.3pp
60
47.2%
+8.3pp
Australian
2021 count
51
% of total
40.2%
Change from 2016
-8.2pp
51
40.2%
-8.2pp
Irish
2021 count
23
% of total
18.1%
Change from 2016
+4.4pp
23
18.1%
+4.4pp
German
2021 count
12
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+2.0pp
12
9.4%
+2.0pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+23
+8.3pp
Australian
+5
-8.2pp
Irish
+10
+4.4pp
German
+5
+2.0pp
Data table
Ancestry for Elbow Valley. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Southern Downs (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Southern Downs (R)% | Count | % | Southern Downs (R)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 60 | 47.2% | 41.2% | 37 | 38.9% | 41.1% | +23 | +8.3pp |
| Australian | 51 | 40.2% | 40.2% | 46 | 48.4% | 42.3% | +5 | -8.2pp |
| Irish | 23 | 18.1% | 13.3% | 13 | 13.7% | 14.1% | +10 | +4.4pp |
| German | 12 | 9.4% | 6.9% | 7 | 7.4% | 7.3% | +5 | +2.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).