| Change/ No change | Sub-categories | 2015 participants | 2016 participants |
| Change | a new phenomenon shows up with the help of advanced technology | 4 | 3 |
| Change | the inability of a scientific theory to explain new knowledge | 3 | 4 |
| Change | humans’ ideas change | 4 | 3 |
| Change | No reason was provided | 2 | 1 |
| No change | fundamental theories would be the same | 1 | 0 |