What explains individuals’ demand for income redistribution? Previous research shows that redistribution support is influenced by normative beliefs about distributive justice. These distributive justice beliefs include principles about what distribution is desirable as well as perceptions of whether these principles are satisfied in reality. This study advances the theory that the effect of distributive justice beliefs depends on the quality of government. Higher-quality public institutions lead people who support income equalization to increasingly turn to the state to implement their distributive goals because they can trust that the effects of public redistribution will be desirable. The results of multilevel models using survey data from 40 institutionally diverse countries offer broad support for this theory. The effects of a multitude of distributive justice principles and perceptions increases with quality of government. The results imply that distributive conflict within societies crucially depends on institutional context. They help to explain why increases in inequality do not necessarily lead to increased demand for redistribution.