How often do you feel unit tests have helped you catch bugs?

on the frontend?, rarely. I only really use that for critical business logic components. Integration or e2e tests is what I prefer using.

How often do you feel those help you catch bugs? I often feel I test to check a box/go through the motions and update them to account for changes in requirements. Don’t know that I’ve ever caught a bug with them, waiting for the light bulb to turn on

Its mostly to prevent regressions and making sure that it works as intended. Its always included as a CI that ensures that PRs dont' break old fixes.