UK Polling History: Election of 3 May 1979 – Thanet West
Result summary
| Parties | |||
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal | |
| Votes | 18,122 | 8,576 | 6,017 |
| Votes gained | +4,359 | -79 | -1,918 |
| Share of votes | 55.4% | 26.2% | 18.4% |
| Share of eligible voters | 39.7% | 18.8% | 13.2% |
| Gain in share of votes | +10.1% | -2.3% | -7.8% |
| Gain in share of eligible voters | +8.3% | -1.0% | -4.9% |
| Total votes: | 32,715 | |
| Electorate: | 45,694 | |
| Turnout: | 71.6% | |
| Outcome: | Conservative hold | |
| Swing: | 8.9% | Conservative from Liberal |
Polling history
List of contests
| Date | Type | Parties | ||
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal | ||
| Date | Type | Parties | ||
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal | ||
| 3 May 1979 | General Election | 18,122 | 8,576 | 6,017 |
| 10 October 1974 | General Election | 13,763 | 8,655 | 7,935 |
| 28 February 1974 | General Election | 16,880 | 7,969 | 9,220 |