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 Owen were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Owen - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Owen in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wakefield (DC) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Owen, with comparison markers for Wakefield (DC).
Australian
2021 count
246
% of total
48.3%
Change from 2016
+2.3pp
246
48.3%
+2.3pp
English
2021 count
243
% of total
47.7%
Change from 2016
+5.8pp
243
47.7%
+5.8pp
Irish
2021 count
61
% of total
12.0%
Change from 2016
+1.6pp
61
12.0%
+1.6pp
German
2021 count
50
% of total
9.8%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
50
9.8%
+0.4pp
Scottish
2021 count
35
% of total
6.9%
Change from 2016
-2.7pp
35
6.9%
-2.7pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
14
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-
14
2.8%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+11
+2.3pp
English
+29
+5.8pp
Irish
+8
+1.6pp
German
+2
+0.4pp
Scottish
-14
-2.7pp
Data table
Ancestry for Owen. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Wakefield (DC).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Wakefield (DC)% | Count | % | Wakefield (DC)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 246 | 48.3% | 46.0% | 235 | 46.0% | 44.8% | +11 | +2.3pp |
| English | 243 | 47.7% | 43.8% | 214 | 41.9% | 42.4% | +29 | +5.8pp |
| Irish | 61 | 12.0% | 7.7% | 53 | 10.4% | 7.6% | +8 | +1.6pp |
| German | 50 | 9.8% | 10.4% | 48 | 9.4% | 11.0% | +2 | +0.4pp |
| Scottish | 35 | 6.9% | 9.2% | 49 | 9.6% | 9.9% | -14 | -2.7pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 14 | 2.8% | 2.7% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).