My 2020 13-inch MacBook Air running MacOS 14.6.1 is definitely crashing more than any Mac I have owned for a good number of years - I would almost say ever, going back to the 1990s. Maybe it is because I am running an OS that is pushing the Air to its limits, but I think not. I never install a new OS unless Apple declares that the machine that I have can manage it. I have had slow running computers because the one that I am running is being pushed to its limits because of the OS that I am running, but never crashing.
I’m going to make a guess and say that I think that the quality of Apple’s software has declined. If others know otherwise, or hypothesize other reasons, please put me right on this if I am putting the blame in the wrong place.