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 Clarkson were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Clarkson - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Clarkson in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Wanneroo (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Clarkson, with comparison markers for Wanneroo (C).
English
2021 count
5,539
% of total
39.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
5,539
39.8%
-0.1pp
Australian
2021 count
3,576
% of total
25.7%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
3,576
25.7%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
1,279
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,279
9.2%
+0.2pp
Irish
2021 count
1,279
% of total
9.2%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
1,279
9.2%
+0.2pp
Italian
2021 count
459
% of total
3.3%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
459
3.3%
+0.5pp
Chinese
2021 count
394
% of total
2.8%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
394
2.8%
-0.2pp
Indian
2021 count
381
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
381
2.7%
-0.6pp
German
2021 count
378
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
378
2.7%
-0.1pp
South African
2021 count
361
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
361
2.6%
+0.2pp
Filipino
2021 count
334
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
334
2.4%
+0.4pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+362
-0.1pp
Australian
+250
+0.1pp
Scottish
+114
+0.2pp
Irish
+113
+0.2pp
Italian
+94
+0.5pp
Chinese
+1
-0.2pp
Indian
-44
-0.6pp
German
+13
-0.1pp
South African
+51
+0.2pp
Filipino
+76
+0.4pp
Data table
Ancestry for Clarkson. 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 | 5,539 | 39.8% | 39.7% | 5,177 | 39.9% | 39.4% | +362 | -0.1pp |
| Australian | 3,576 | 25.7% | 26.3% | 3,326 | 25.6% | 26.6% | +250 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 1,279 | 9.2% | 8.5% | 1,165 | 9.0% | 8.3% | +114 | +0.2pp |
| Irish | 1,279 | 9.2% | 8.5% | 1,166 | 9.0% | 8.3% | +113 | +0.2pp |
| Italian | 459 | 3.3% | 4.6% | 365 | 2.8% | 4.5% | +94 | +0.5pp |
| Chinese | 394 | 2.8% | 2.4% | 393 | 3.0% | 2.3% | +1 | -0.2pp |
| Indian | 381 | 2.7% | 3.3% | 425 | 3.3% | 3.1% | -44 | -0.6pp |
| German | 378 | 2.7% | 2.6% | 365 | 2.8% | 2.5% | +13 | -0.1pp |
| South African | 361 | 2.6% | 2.4% | 310 | 2.4% | 2.3% | +51 | +0.2pp |
| Filipino | 334 | 2.4% | 1.7% | 258 | 2.0% | 1.4% | +76 | +0.4pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).