This paper establishes three novel results about fairness and redistribution using a combination of large-scale surveys and theory-driven experiments with consequential transfer choices. First, individuals with egalitarian, libertarian, and meritocratic fairness preferences differ strongly in their support for redistribution. Second, beliefs about the causes of inequality have a strong effect on policy support for meritocrats, but a much weaker effect for non-meritocrats. Third, fairness concerns matter universally for the rich and the poor, and across political camps. We establish our results in the US and replicate them in five European countries. These results improve our understanding of the micro-foundations of fairness views, providing new insights into why individuals, political parties, and countries differ in their support for redistribution and their acceptance of economic inequality.