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 Snowtown were Australian, English and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Snowtown - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Snowtown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wakefield (DC) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Snowtown, with comparison markers for Wakefield (DC).
Australian
2021 count
213
% of total
50.1%
Change from 2016
-2.6pp
213
50.1%
-2.6pp
English
2021 count
181
% of total
42.6%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
181
42.6%
+1.7pp
Scottish
2021 count
40
% of total
9.4%
Change from 2016
+1.7pp
40
9.4%
+1.7pp
Irish
2021 count
35
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-1.7pp
35
8.2%
-1.7pp
German
2021 count
35
% of total
8.2%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
35
8.2%
-0.4pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
21
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-
21
4.9%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-33
-2.6pp
English
-10
+1.7pp
Scottish
+4
+1.7pp
Irish
-11
-1.7pp
German
-5
-0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Snowtown. 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 | 213 | 50.1% | 46.0% | 246 | 52.7% | 44.8% | -33 | -2.6pp |
| English | 181 | 42.6% | 43.8% | 191 | 40.9% | 42.4% | -10 | +1.7pp |
| Scottish | 40 | 9.4% | 9.2% | 36 | 7.7% | 9.9% | +4 | +1.7pp |
| Irish | 35 | 8.2% | 7.7% | 46 | 9.9% | 7.6% | -11 | -1.7pp |
| German | 35 | 8.2% | 10.4% | 40 | 8.6% | 11.0% | -5 | -0.4pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 21 | 4.9% | 2.7% | - | - | 0.3% | - | - |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).