The effects of hydrostatic pressure and pressure cycling on the piezoelectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVF2) have been experimentally investigated by using an acoustic reciprocity technique. The hydrostatic piezoelectric constants and the relative dielectric constant were measured as a function of pressure and pressure cycling for both voided and nonvoided PVF2samples. The dynamic response of these materials to high‐amplitude pressure pulses having a rise time of 1–3 ms was also determined. The results showed that the microvoid structures in PVF2improve the material’s piezoelectric properties but at the same time increase its pressure dependence and introduce a hysteresis effect with changing hydrostatic pressure. Nonvoided PVF2films were also shown to have a good dynamic response to pressure pulses and, therefore, are promising for applications such as underwater shock sensors.