Elites in a high-trust society: Exploring the elite‒population trust gap

While the legitimacy of key institutions of liberal democracy is under threat, we know little about differences in the trust placed in these institutions by elites and the population. We explore differences in trust between elites and the population (i.e. the elite–population trust gap) by combining a survey of 75 members of the power elite with data from the European Values Study in Denmark. Using principal component analysis, we construct a three-dimensional space of institutional trust in the population. The elite–population trust gap vastly exceeds trust gaps based on other socio-demographic factors (e.g. education), and almost no members of the power elite display a high degree of institutional mistrust. This trust gap is strongest in institutions in which elites themselves are embedded (e.g. the public sector, major companies), but insignificant when it comes to institutions not embedded within elite networks (e.g. social media, environmental organisations).