The phrase "an underlying problem is that" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to introduce a deeper issue or concern that is not immediately obvious in a discussion or analysis.
Example: "While the project seems to be progressing well, an underlying problem is that the team lacks sufficient resources to meet the deadlines."
Alternatives: "a fundamental issue is that" or "a core problem is that".
An underlying problem is that customers are just less interested; many are alienated by the huge salaries and boorish behavior of some players.
An underlying problem is that the child appears social, but actually prefers to be alone doing her own thing or just being with her mother.
An underlying problem is that the protected area itself contradicts the vested economic interests and development agenda of regional elites, and their allies in local government (Utting 2000).
Any chance of a candidate who is not a man in a grey suit and tie?The underlying problem is that "men choose men" for important jobs, and this harms the EU, maintains Ms Wallstrom.
With bananas, another mainstay, also under threat from changing trade rules, Caribbean political leaders are caught between crying injustice and a long overdue search for alternatives.The underlying problem is that growing sugar or bananas on small, hilly farms on Caribbean islands is far less efficient than in large, mechanised plantations in Latin America and elsewhere (see chart).
Last month the teenage son of a former police chief was shot dead.The underlying problem is that few of the killings are investigated, let alone punished.
An underlying problem was that Mr. Bradley was not terribly good at taking advice.
"If it were possible to gain access to Chechens detained in Russia one would probably have a list of political prisoners running into the thousands," says Alex Anderson of Amnesty International, a pressure group.The underlying problem is that Russia has not considered or really even started discussing what sort of country it wants to be.
