The phrase "an important barometer" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that serves as a significant indicator or measure of a particular situation or trend.
Example: "The unemployment rate is often seen as an important barometer of the overall health of the economy."
Alternatives: "a key indicator" or "a significant measure".
Microbloggers, an important barometer of public opinion, haven't shown much interest, either.
It is an important barometer of market interest rates and the health of the financial system.
For the average American, Ms. O'Kelley says, "it's an important barometer".
Sunday's election in Nago is widely seen as an important barometer of public opinion on the island.
Beyond the profits retailers make from back-to-school sales, what is popular and what is not provides an important barometer as they prepare for the holidays.
The board's vote was advisory — it did not have the power to scrap plans for a center — but it was seen as an important barometer of community sentiment.
"North Korea's official announcements are a very important barometer for us," an official at South Korea's Unification Ministry said, "and there are certain keywords within them that we pay particular attention to.
Many analysts consider spending on basic research to be an especially important barometer of the health of the scientific enterprise.
Libor is a measure of how much banks charge each other for loans, and is a hugely important barometer of market interest rates and the health of the financial system.
But Lucent, because of its prominent position as a seller of equipment to large phone service providers and wireless carriers in the United States, is a particularly important barometer of the health of the American telecommunications industry.
And in J.D. Power's most recent study of long-term reliability, which many in the industry consider to be a more important barometer, the Hyundai brand ranks near the bottom of the industry and Kia is dead last.
