Support for a universal basic income (UBI) remains paradoxical in several ways. First, the left-wing is strongly divided over this policy and existing work shows that demand for redistribution is higher than demand for a UBI. Survey research opens more questions than answers, by showing that individual-level predictors of UBI support are the same as for targeted schemes. In order to reconcile these paradoxes, this paper advances the argument that the relationship between redistribution support and cash transfer preferences is conditional on the subjective efficiency of the policy design. Empirically, this paper draws on data from an original survey and experimental data from Finland and Spain. Results give credit to our argument, albeit with important differences across context. In Spain, support for UBI is predicted by its perceived redistributive efficiency, more so than in Finland, where individuals are less polarized over universality. On the contrary, individuals in more residual welfare states show consistently higher support for policies they perceive as more redistributive, and universality is indeed a contentious dimension even for pro-redistribution individuals. These results have far-reaching implications for the study of welfare preferences and the politics of universal basic income.