There is a web design principle called “Above The Fold”, which refers to the space a user sees on a web page without having to scroll down the page.
The myth has been that users do not like to scroll down pages, so the idea is to cram as much content and information above the fold.
Here is a study that demystifies this idea and concludes that users will scroll to view content.
There are a few caveats that I have learned over the years in focus testing and in reading the research that do not seem to be mentioned in the study. First: users expect to see important information on a site homepage above 600 pixels. Many online stores have reported losing business when they have a long site homepage. Second: it's really important to give users cues to tell them there is more information down the page. While some users notice scroll bars, many others are too busy reading the content. So, if you are using a design that would indicate the "bottom" of something (for example when using boxes to frame certain types of informataion), users are less likely to scroll. On the other hand, if you have an article that continues, users will search for the scroll bar in order to keep reading.
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