it severely depends of the context used, but on a glance this can mean that whatever immediately caused it, the source of the problem are wider. For example, if a teenager robs a shop you can say that he did it because he is a bad guy, or you can broad your view and look up to his family, school, peers, society as a whole, etc.
In this case, i can imagine a dialogue like
A "I think he did it just because he is nasty"
B "I think this is a broader problem, instead".
it may not refer necessarily to a more severe or serious problem, but just various sources that added together make the "problem" happen.