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 Whyalla Jenkins were English, Australian and Scottish.
Section overview
Ancestry - Ranked by size
Whyalla Jenkins - Total persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises ancestry for Whyalla Jenkins in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Whyalla (C) and change since 2016.
Ancestry - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Whyalla Jenkins, with comparison markers for Whyalla (C).
English
2021 count
815
% of total
20.9%
Change from 2016
-17.2pp
815
20.9%
-17.2pp
Australian
2021 count
811
% of total
20.8%
Change from 2016
+6.5pp
811
20.8%
+6.5pp
Scottish
2021 count
258
% of total
6.6%
Change from 2016
-
258
6.6%
-
Irish
2021 count
150
% of total
3.8%
Change from 2016
-10.5pp
150
3.8%
-10.5pp
German
2021 count
105
% of total
2.7%
Change from 2016
-
105
2.7%
-
Australian Aboriginal
2021 count
59
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
59
1.5%
-
Italian
2021 count
57
% of total
1.5%
Change from 2016
-
57
1.5%
-
Filipino
2021 count
39
% of total
1.0%
Change from 2016
-
39
1.0%
-
Indian
2021 count
31
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
-
31
0.8%
-
Greek
2021 count
29
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-
29
0.7%
-
Chart view
Ancestry - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
English
+807
-17.2pp
Australian
+808
+6.5pp
Irish
+147
-10.5pp
Data table
Ancestry for Whyalla Jenkins. Ancestry - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Whyalla (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Whyalla (C)% | Count | % | Whyalla (C)% | Count | pp | |
| English | 815 | 20.9% | 20.8% | 8 | 38.1% | 20.6% | +807 | -17.2pp |
| Australian | 811 | 20.8% | 19.6% | 3 | 14.3% | 20.7% | +808 | +6.5pp |
| Scottish | 258 | 6.6% | 5.4% | - | - | 5.5% | - | - |
| Irish | 150 | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3 | 14.3% | 3.9% | +147 | -10.5pp |
| German | 105 | 2.7% | 3.5% | - | - | 3.4% | - | - |
| Australian Aboriginal | 59 | 1.5% | 2.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Italian | 57 | 1.5% | 1.1% | - | - | 1.1% | - | - |
| Filipino | 39 | 1.0% | 1.0% | - | - | 0.8% | - | - |
| Indian | 31 | 0.8% | 0.4% | - | - | 0.4% | - | - |
| Greek | 29 | 0.7% | 0.6% | - | - | 0.5% | - | - |
| Total | 3,908 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 21 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +3,887 | 0.0pp |
Excludes ancestries with fewer than 10 responses (multi-response).