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SAN FRANCISCO — Health care costs and the quality of schools are the most important issues for California voters, not gubernatorial candidates’ views on abortion, according to a Field Poll released Thursday. 

Sixty-nine percent of registered voters questioned by the Field Institute said they were extremely concerned about health care costs. Sixty-eight percent put public schools on the same anxiety level. 

Only 33 percent said they were extremely concerned about abortion, which has been the most visible issue so far in clashes between Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and his top Republican opponent, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan. 

The public health system (57 percent), higher education (55 percent), cost of electricity (53 percent), illegal drug use (53 percent), crime and law enforcement (52 percent), the cost of living (52 percent), taxes (51 percent), creating jobs in new industries (50 percent) and protecting the environment (50 percent) also ranked high among voters’ concerns. 

The poll questioned 1,022 voters between Jan. 23 and Jan. 27 about how concerned they were about 28 issues and problems facing the state. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. 

Democrats and Republicans had somewhat different priorities. 

Democrats ranked health care costs, public schools, the public health system, protecting the environment, air and water pollution and homelessness and poverty as their most important concerns. 

Republicans listed public schools, crime and law enforcement, illegal drug use, health care costs and illegal immigration as their top issues. 

Voters’ concerns about several issues declined since the Field Poll’s last issues survey, in November 1997. Illegal drug use, crime and law enforcement, illegal immigration, air and water pollution, race relations, unemployment and welfare were among those issues that dropped in importance. 

Concerns about health care costs jumped from 55 percent in 1997 to 69 percent this year, although in the earlier survey voters were asked about health care, not health care costs in particular. 

The concern about public schools remains about the same, with 69 percent expressing extreme concern about that subject in the 1997 poll. 

The poll questioned voters about several issues for the first time, including the public health system, the cost of electricity, and terrorism and security, which was of extreme concern to 47 percent of those questioned.