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 West Coast (M) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
West Coast (M) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for West Coast (M) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Tas. and change since 2016.
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for West Coast (M), with comparison markers for Regional Tas..
Australian
2021 count
1,817
% of total
21.3%
Change from 2016
-1.3pp
1,817
21.3%
-1.3pp
English
2021 count
1,768
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
1,768
20.8%
-0.6pp
Irish
2021 count
427
% of total
5.0%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
427
5.0%
-1.0pp
Scottish
2021 count
312
% of total
3.7%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
312
3.7%
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
294
% of total
3.5%
Change from 2016
+3.4pp
294
3.5%
+3.4pp
German
2021 count
191
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
191
2.2%
-0.5pp
Dutch
2021 count
68
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
68
0.8%
+0.1pp
Italian
2021 count
38
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
38
0.4%
-0.1pp
Polish
2021 count
38
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
38
0.4%
+0.3pp
Welsh
2021 count
30
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
30
0.4%
+0.2pp
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
-52
-1.3pp
English
+1
-0.6pp
Irish
-65
-1.0pp
Scottish
-36
-0.5pp
Australian Aboriginal
+282
+3.4pp
German
-28
-0.5pp
Dutch
+14
+0.1pp
Italian
-7
-0.1pp
Polish
+27
+0.3pp
Welsh
+10
+0.2pp
Data table
Ancestry for West Coast (M). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Tas..
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | % | Regional Tas.% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 1,817 | 21.3% | 21.3% | 1,869 | 22.6% | 22.5% | -52 | -1.3pp |
| English | 1,768 | 20.8% | 22.3% | 1,767 | 21.4% | 22.3% | +1 | -0.6pp |
| Irish | 427 | 5.0% | 4.9% | 492 | 6.0% | 5.1% | -65 | -1.0pp |
| Scottish | 312 | 3.7% | 4.7% | 348 | 4.2% | 4.6% | -36 | -0.5pp |
| Australian Aboriginal | 294 | 3.5% | 2.7% | 12 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +282 | +3.4pp |
| German | 191 | 2.2% | 1.7% | 219 | 2.7% | 1.7% | -28 | -0.5pp |
| Dutch | 68 | 0.8% | 1.1% | 54 | 0.7% | 1.0% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| Italian | 38 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 45 | 0.5% | 0.6% | -7 | -0.1pp |
| Polish | 38 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 11 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +27 | +0.3pp |
| Welsh | 30 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 20 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +10 | +0.2pp |
| Total | 8,516 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 8,260 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +256 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).