The phrase "a chief cause" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to identify the primary reason or factor contributing to a particular outcome or situation.
Example: "The researchers concluded that a chief cause of the decline in bee populations is the widespread use of pesticides."
Alternatives: "a primary reason" or "a main factor".
This discrimination is widely accepted … by official assessments, as a chief cause of agitation.
Since then, conservatives have often pointed to teachers unions as a chief cause of school inadequacy.
The "investment hunger" of the SOEs, which borrow cheaply from state banks as well as recycle outsized profits, is a chief cause of China's unbalanced development.
It imposes tough terms on future union contracts, a chief cause of Detroit's financial malaise, and insists that all existing contracts, even those recently ratified, can be reopened.
The incident was a chief cause of the Arapaho-Cheyenne war that followed and had far-reaching influence in the Plains Wars of the next decade.
◆ To the Editor: Both Annie Murphy Paul and Amanda Ripley effectively focus on the enduring American anti-intellectualism that is a chief cause of this nation's educational woes.
In April, a traditional chief caused a stir in Ghana when he expressed support for the incumbent president, John Mahama, in the country's upcoming presidential election.
For generations, states across the nation banned the sale of liquor on Sundays with so-called Blue Laws, stubborn reminders of a time when demon drink was considered a scourge, the chief cause of society's ills.
Among Minnesota officials, debate over the chief cause — a design flaw versus some failure to maintain the bridge adequately — has evolved into a partisan political battle.
He makes a murky argument that "the chief cause of reality television" is a cynical public that has "come to associate artistic pretense with entrepreneurial misrepresentation".
But while this turmoil seems to point to an industry in disarray, the chief cause may be as simple as a generational shift in consumer habits.
