--but more frequently disagreeing with their pronouncements? Relax. You're not confused. You may be a libertarian, and not even know it.

According to a new nationwide survey conducted by Rasmussen Research, 16 percent of Americans are libertarian. That's about 1 out of every 6 voters.

By contrast, 49 percent of voters are broadly centrist, 14 percent are authoritarian, 13 percent are liberal and 7 percent are conservative, according to the same survey.

Yes, you read that correctly. There are more libertarians than liberals or conservatives -- which makes libertarians the great stealth factor in American politics. Forty million strong, libertarians are invisible to the radar of politicians accustomed to thinking in terms of left and right.

Who are these libertarians? Where do they fit on the political map? Why are so many Americans embracing this philosophy?

Broadly speaking, libertarians believe you have the right to live your life as you wish, without government interference, provided you don't harm anyone else. Libertarians believe you, not the government, can be the best judge of how to spend your money, how to raise your children and how to run your life.

Now there's proof that many Americans agree with this commonsense view. Rasmussen's study of 822 likely voters is the first nationwide, scientifically accurate survey based on the so-called World's Smallest Political Quiz, developed by the Georgia- based nonpartisan Advocates for Self Government.

The quiz measures your viewpoint on economic issues with questions about taxes, business subsidies, minimum wage laws and so on. It also examines your stand on personal issues with questions about drug laws, free speech, immigration and more. Based on your answers, your political beliefs are plotted on a four-way axis.

Four way? That's right. This innovative quiz transcends mere left and right.

The scoring is easy to understand. If you support personal liberty but want the government to control the economy with taxes and regulations, you end up in the liberal quadrant. If you favor economic liberty but want the government to legislate personal moral choices and behavior, you're a conservative.

If you support a high degree of both economic and personal freedom, you're a libertarian. If you support government control in both areas, you're an authoritarian. (Or, if you don't fall firmly in any camp, you're a centrist.)

This four-way chart is a dramatic im provement over the usual two-way political model -- and explains many of the apparent contradictions of traditional politics.

For example, the four-way chart illustrates why liberals are pro-choice on abortion, but not on Social Security. It explains why conservatives advocate limited government, except when it comes to regulating your personal behavior. And it demolishes the notion that a bloody tyrant like Adolph Hitler was ``right wing'' while a bloody tyrant like Joseph Stalin was ``left wing.'' (Both were authoritarians.)

While only 16 percent of Americans fall into the libertarian quadrant, Rasmussen discovered that larger numbers of voters support supposedly ``radical'' Libertarian Party positions. For example:

-- 28 percent agreed that drug laws do more harm than good and should be repealed.

-- 42 percent agreed that businesses and farms should operate without government subsidies.

-- 36 percent agreed ``we should end taxes'' and Americans should pay for government services with user fees.

-- 27 percent agreed that minimum- wage laws cause unemployment and should be repealed.

-- 28 percent agreed that people should be ``free to come and go across borders; to live and work where they choose.''

The survey suggests there is a vast, untapped pool of Americans who hold strong libertarian positions, but don't yet realize they are libertarian.

That's bad news for Democrats and Republicans, because these ``latent libertarians'' could become the most potent force in American politics in the 21st century.

But it's good news for everyone who wants to be free to live their life as they wish, not as the politicians demand.

So, do you think you can do a better job running your life than either George W. Bush or Al Gore? Take the quiz -- and find out if you're a libertarian, too.

Personal issues score: Add 20 for each yes, 10 for each maybe.

Economic issues score: Add 20 for year yes, 10 for each maybe.