My perception, from the viewpoint of a member of "the educated elite", is that if established authority wants to be trust, all that is needed is for it to be trustworthy. I do not trust political leaders; they are almost all untruthful whenever it is expedient, and will almost all abandon their most clearly stated promises without notice or apparent justification (cough, election reform). I do not trust business leaders; they are untruthful any time it appears profitable, and in any event see the world from a very narrow and skewed perspective. 

If established authorities want my trust, all they need to do is to be 100% truthful, and stick to their word once given. I think the same recipe would work for the les educated too. "(S)he doesn't lie" would be a descriptive any politician or business leader should be proud of, and essentially none of them deserve.