A new survey from 451 Research finds Apple Pay gaining momentum in the mobile payments space, primarily at the expense of PayPal.

“Our latest survey shows planned use of Apple Pay has been on an upward trajectory since it became available six months ago – with the service helping to spark consumer demand for mobile payment technologies,” said Andy Golub, Survey Research Director for 451 Research, in a statement. “Although consumer perceptions of security remain an issue, the results point to marked improvements in this area.”

The March survey, conducted by 451 Research’s ChangeWave service, consisted of 4,168 respondents primarily based in North America, and looked at planned use of mobile payment applications and the issue of security.

One-quarter (25%) of smartphone owners say they are likely to use mobile payment apps over the next 90 days (11% Very Likely; 14% Somewhat Likely). This number is up just 1-pt since 451’s previous ChangeWave survey in December 2014, but is a full 6-pts higher than one year ago.

iPhone users (34%) are more than twice as likely to use mobile payment apps compared to Android (16%), BlackBerry (13%) or Windows Phone (5%) users.

Apple Pay is the top choice in terms of mobile payment applications consumers plan on using going forward. A total of 45% say they plan to use Apple Pay – which is a 5-pt jump since December.

Looking at satisfaction among consumers who are already using mobile payment apps, Apple outperforms, with 66% of those who have used Apple Pay saying they’re Very Satisfied with the service.

PayPal (45%) is in second place, followed by Google Wallet (33%).

Respondents interested in buying an Apple Watch are twice as likely (54%) as all other smartphone owners to say they’ll use mobile payment apps (29% Very Likely and 25% Somewhat Likely). An upcoming 451 Research report based on a new ChangeWave survey will be taking a close-up look at wearable device trends and demand for the Apple Watch.

Source: 451 Research, LLC