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 Alexander Heights were English, Australian and Vietnamese.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Alexander Heights - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Alexander Heights in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wanneroo (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Alexander Heights, with comparison markers for Wanneroo (C).
English
2021 count
2,072
% of total
26.7%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
2,072
26.7%
-2.0pp
Australian
2021 count
1,895
% of total
24.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
1,895
24.4%
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
2021 count
751
% of total
9.7%
Change from 2016
+0.8pp
751
9.7%
+0.8pp
Italian
2021 count
507
% of total
6.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
507
6.5%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
482
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
482
6.2%
-0.1pp
Irish
2021 count
455
% of total
5.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
455
5.9%
-0.4pp
Chinese
2021 count
325
% of total
4.2%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
325
4.2%
+0.5pp
Macedonian
2021 count
239
% of total
3.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
239
3.1%
+0.3pp
Indian
2021 count
212
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
212
2.7%
+0.1pp
Burmese
2021 count
170
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
170
2.2%
+0.3pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
-202
-2.0pp
Australian
-44
-0.1pp
Vietnamese
+49
+0.8pp
Italian
+2
+0.1pp
Scottish
-19
-0.1pp
Irish
-44
-0.4pp
Chinese
+35
+0.5pp
Macedonian
+17
+0.3pp
Indian
+4
+0.1pp
Burmese
+20
+0.3pp
Data table
Ancestry for Alexander Heights. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Wanneroo (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Wanneroo (C)% | Count | % | Wanneroo (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 2,072 | 26.7% | 39.7% | 2,274 | 28.7% | 39.4% | -202 | -2.0pp |
| Australian | 1,895 | 24.4% | 26.3% | 1,939 | 24.5% | 26.6% | -44 | -0.1pp |
| Vietnamese | 751 | 9.7% | 2.4% | 702 | 8.9% | 2.7% | +49 | +0.8pp |
| Italian | 507 | 6.5% | 4.6% | 505 | 6.4% | 4.5% | +2 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 482 | 6.2% | 8.5% | 501 | 6.3% | 8.3% | -19 | -0.1pp |
| Irish | 455 | 5.9% | 8.5% | 499 | 6.3% | 8.3% | -44 | -0.4pp |
| Chinese | 325 | 4.2% | 2.4% | 290 | 3.7% | 2.3% | +35 | +0.5pp |
| Macedonian | 239 | 3.1% | 1.2% | 222 | 2.8% | 1.1% | +17 | +0.3pp |
| Indian | 212 | 2.7% | 3.3% | 208 | 2.6% | 3.1% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Burmese | 170 | 2.2% | 0.7% | 150 | 1.9% | 0.7% | +20 | +0.3pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).