Citizen attitudes concerning the potential hazards of environmental pollution are believed to be influenced by various factors. Some observers focus on the level of education and policy‐relevant knowledge obtaining among the public as predictors of environmental risk perceptions. Others have argued that level of education and knowledge are largely unrelated to risk perceptions. These scholars focus on the symbolic nature of environmental issues and highlight the importance of the underlying influence of political and social value orientations on the perception of environmental risk. This study explores how public perceptions of risk associated with industrial pollution in the Great Lakes are affected by policy‐relevant knowledge and political value orientations. Findings suggest that value orientations are stronger predictors of environmental risk perceptions than knowledge.