We conducted both a field study on 730 local residents in Weiyuan County and Gong County and an online survey on 292 energy experts to understand their attitudes toward shale gas exploitation and associated perceived risks and benefits. Results show that both local publics and experts generally support shale gas development in China. The expert group believes that the potential risks of shale gas exploitation outweigh the benefits，while the local public holds the opposite view. For both local public and experts，water pollution and geologic hazards are among the most commonly perceived risks，while local economic stimulation is the major perceived benefit.