Dobbelaere believed there is little doubt that social and political choices are less and less influenced by religion, at least in Western societies, and noted that most sociologists argue with him on this point.
Contrary to other theorists of secularization, Dobbelaere observed that religion does survive at the "de-institutionalized" level of private beliefs and practices.
[6] Dobbelaere argued that religious organizations and institutions are generally declining in the modern world, while his critics claim that this form of secularization is typical of Western Europe (and perhaps Canada and Australia/New Zealand) only, but not of the United States, nor of Latin America, Asia and Africa.
[7] Dobbelaere was among the first Western scholars to publish sociological studies of the Japanese religious movement Soka Gakkai.
In A Time to Chant, which he co-authored with British sociologist Bryan R. Wilson, he argued that Soka Gakkai had been successful in the United Kingdom by surrendering certain Japanese features and adapting to the European context.
Dobbelaere also discussed how, after the separation from the monks, Soka Gakkai was reorganized with a different structure but eventually evolved into a full-fledged "religion" and continued with its successful missions abroad.