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 Doreen (part) were Australian, English and Irish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Doreen (part) - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Doreen (part) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Whittlesea (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Doreen (part), with comparison markers for Whittlesea (C).
Australian
2021 count
9,673
% of total
35.7%
Change from 2016
-1.6pp
9,673
35.7%
-1.6pp
English
2021 count
8,960
% of total
33.0%
Change from 2016
-4.2pp
8,960
33.0%
-4.2pp
Irish
2021 count
2,729
% of total
10.1%
Change from 2016
-1.5pp
2,729
10.1%
-1.5pp
Italian
2021 count
2,593
% of total
9.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
2,593
9.6%
+0.1pp
Scottish
2021 count
2,266
% of total
8.4%
Change from 2016
-1.0pp
2,266
8.4%
-1.0pp
Indian
2021 count
1,305
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
+2.8pp
1,305
4.8%
+2.8pp
German
2021 count
826
% of total
3.0%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
826
3.0%
-0.8pp
Greek
2021 count
717
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
717
2.6%
0.0pp
Macedonian
2021 count
580
% of total
2.1%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
580
2.1%
+0.2pp
Maltese
2021 count
476
% of total
1.8%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
476
1.8%
-0.1pp
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Australian
+1,738
-1.6pp
English
+1,032
-4.2pp
Irish
+252
-1.5pp
Italian
+562
+0.1pp
Scottish
+273
-1.0pp
Indian
+884
+2.8pp
German
+19
-0.8pp
Greek
+169
0.0pp
Macedonian
+171
+0.2pp
Maltese
+75
-0.1pp
Data table
Ancestry for Doreen (part). Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Whittlesea (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Whittlesea (C)% | Count | % | Whittlesea (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Australian | 9,673 | 35.7% | 19.7% | 7,935 | 37.3% | 20.0% | +1,738 | -1.6pp |
| English | 8,960 | 33.0% | 17.6% | 7,928 | 37.2% | 18.7% | +1,032 | -4.2pp |
| Irish | 2,729 | 10.1% | 4.9% | 2,477 | 11.6% | 5.6% | +252 | -1.5pp |
| Italian | 2,593 | 9.6% | 12.2% | 2,031 | 9.5% | 13.2% | +562 | +0.1pp |
| Scottish | 2,266 | 8.4% | 4.0% | 1,993 | 9.4% | 4.3% | +273 | -1.0pp |
| Indian | 1,305 | 4.8% | 7.9% | 421 | 2.0% | 6.7% | +884 | +2.8pp |
| German | 826 | 3.0% | 1.7% | 807 | 3.8% | 1.8% | +19 | -0.8pp |
| Greek | 717 | 2.6% | 5.3% | 548 | 2.6% | 5.9% | +169 | 0.0pp |
| Macedonian | 580 | 2.1% | 6.1% | 409 | 1.9% | 6.6% | +171 | +0.2pp |
| Maltese | 476 | 1.8% | 1.8% | 401 | 1.9% | 2.0% | +75 | -0.1pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).