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 The Summit were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
The Summit - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for The Summit in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Southern Downs (R) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for The Summit, with comparison markers for Southern Downs (R).
Australian
2021 count
177
% of total
40.6%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
177
40.6%
+1.7pp
English
2021 count
172
% of total
39.4%
Change from 2016
-4.6pp
172
39.4%
-4.6pp
Irish
2021 count
47
% of total
10.8%
Change from 2016
-3.1pp
47
10.8%
-3.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
39
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-4.3pp
39
8.9%
-4.3pp
German
2021 count
30
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
30
6.9%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
26
% of total
6.0%
Change from 2016
-1.8pp
26
6.0%
-1.8pp
Dutch
2021 count
20
% of total
4.6%
Change from 2016
+0.7pp
20
4.6%
+0.7pp
Filipino
2021 count
12
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
12
2.8%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+18
+1.7pp
English
-8
-4.6pp
Irish
-10
-3.1pp
Scottish
-15
-4.3pp
German
+5
+0.8pp
Italian
-6
-1.8pp
Dutch
+4
+0.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for The Summit. 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 | |
| Australian | 177 | 40.6% | 40.2% | 159 | 38.9% | 42.3% | +18 | +1.7pp |
| English | 172 | 39.4% | 41.2% | 180 | 44.0% | 41.1% | -8 | -4.6pp |
| Irish | 47 | 10.8% | 13.3% | 57 | 13.9% | 14.1% | -10 | -3.1pp |
| Scottish | 39 | 8.9% | 11.4% | 54 | 13.2% | 10.9% | -15 | -4.3pp |
| German | 30 | 6.9% | 6.9% | 25 | 6.1% | 7.3% | +5 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 26 | 6.0% | 4.1% | 32 | 7.8% | 4.2% | -6 | -1.8pp |
| Dutch | 20 | 4.6% | 1.2% | 16 | 3.9% | 1.3% | +4 | +0.7pp |
| Filipino | 12 | 2.8% | 0.9% | - | - | 0.6% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).